NEWS Official Publication of the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine

Transcription

1 SPORTSMAN S ALLIANCE OF MAINE NEWS Official Publication of the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine May/June In this issue FEATURES Kids are the Future of Hunting Brook Trout vs. Bass State of Maine Sportsman Show Good Thing I Got That Lifetime Trapping License Protect the Children from All Forms of Violence Residents-Only Day Every Hunter Has a Story SAM Youth Program Open Range Events DEPARTNTS Business Member Showcase SAM Banquet Executive Director s Report SAM Institute for Legislative Action... 6 Lyme Time SAM s Raffles News Briefs Burn the Mortgage Campaign Gifts to SAM Notes from the Trapping Shed The Veteran Connection Women of the Maine Outdoors Operation Game Thief Notes from the Field Biologist Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center Fish & Game Club News SAM s Trading Post Business Supporters Member Benefits Kids are the Future of Hunting by Mark Goodridge, SAM Youth Program Coordinator Maine Guide Debbie Runnells with one of the many young hunters she has mentored over the years. This young hunter bagged a nice doe in DISCLAIR The articles and columns printed in the SAM News refl ect the opinions of the writers, not SAM, unless specifi cally stated. If we don t interest more teenagers and young adults in hunting, our sport will vanish in a generation or two. When I was a youngster I hunted with my dad and uncles. They taught me the traditions and skills that I practice today. Some families still do this, and more power to them. But many don t. I m a volunteer hunter safety instructor for the Maine DIFW. In these classes I talk to many young people who want to hunt, but don t know how. Hunter safety courses do a great job of helping novices become safe hunters, but they do little to make them successful hunters. Without access to the skills that we gray-haired hunters take for granted, no matter how much younger hunters want to hunt, without success they will never develop into lifelong hunters who will preserve our sport and our traditions. Let me tell you about a woman who has done more than most to deal with this problem. Some years back my granddaughter wanted to go on a deer hunt. I promised her that if she got her hunter safety certificate, I would buy her a deer rifle for her birthday. She spent a week at the Bryant Pond 4H Camp and came back with a hunter safety certificate. I had her refine her shooting skills in the Capitol City Rifle and Pistol Club s youth marksmanship program. Hats off to both organizations for doing an outstanding job. All that remained was teaching her to hunt deer. Forty-five years ago I taught my wife to drive a stick shift. It was a tough experience. For both of us. Since then I have avoided teaching family members anything. It s easier that way. I needed someone who could teach my granddaughter to hunt. With the help of Google I found Debbie Runnells, a Maine Guide, now retired, who specialized in hunts for youngsters. That fall, hunting under Debbie s supervision, my grand- continued on page 3 NON-PROFIT Org. US Postage PAID Permit #454 Portland, The Sportsman s Alliance of Maine 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1 Augusta, Come celebrate with us as we Burn our Mortgage! BURN THE MORTGAGE OPEN HOUSE Sunday, June 3rd, 1-4 p.m. SAM Facility, 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta, We ll provide lunch at 2 p.m. (burgers, hot dogs, etc.)

2 2 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM Business Member Showcase S Specializing in: New & Used Firearms Ammunition Reloading Archery Equipment & Accessories Hunting Clothing, Footwear & Accessories! Explore our huge inventory of used firearms at ktpguns.com Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 10-6 / Rte 1 Kittery, / / ktp.com / ktpguns.com Maine's Premier Provider of Residential, Commercial, and Industrial GARAGE DOORS Presque Isle Houlton Hampden Bath Rockport Waterville 1(800) For more information about becoming a business member, please call or Becky: , becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org Mailing Address: 154 Lakeview Lane Crawford, (207) photo courtesy of Red Wing Shoes/Irish Setter PROUD to be a PART of YOUR HUNTING SUCCESS

3 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Kids are the Future of Hunting continued from page 1 daughter shot a nice young buck. She hasn t missed a deer season since. As I got to know Debbie I learned that she mentored young hunters every season, teaching them the skills and attitudes they would need to become successful lifelong hunters. Debbie started hunting the traditional way, because her husband and their friends hunted. As her skills developed, she took up bow hunting because it was more of a challenge. She soon became known as an outstanding hunter. A friend, Norman Jolliffe, a Maine guide and outfitter who specialized in bear hunts, wanted to expand into deer hunts and encouraged her to get her Maine Guide license, so she could work for him guiding deer hunters. As her reputation as a guide spread, she started her own outfitting business, Littlebow Outfitters, primarily providing archery hunts for deer. She gained more experience working for an outfitter in New Mexico and Arizona, guiding and filming hunts. Eventually she moved back to Maine, changed the name of her business to Littlebow Adventures, and focused on mentoring and guiding youth hunters. When I asked her about her decision to focus on young hunters she said, quite simply, Kids are the future of hunting. I asked her for advice about mentoring young hunters. The first thing she told me was the importance of the young hunter being mature enough. That fall, hunting under Debbie s supervision, my granddaughter shot a nice young buck. She hasn t missed a deer season since. She said Maturity is important. Children have to be able to understand what hunters are preparing to do, to take the life of an animal. In her opinion, 12-yearolds are usually mature enough. Tenyear-olds are usually too young. My own experience bears this out. I have known children younger than 12 who can hunt, but in most cases I question whether they should hunt. Handling a firearm safely, and understanding the consequences of a mistake, or even a safe, successful shot, can be difficult or impossible for younger children. I asked Debbie what advice she had for hunters who had the opportunity to mentor a young hunter. She told me that when teaching a young hunter, the adult has to go far beyond placing the youngster where he or she can get a shot at game. She made sure that her young clients learned all the aspects of hunting: about the animal being hunted, the habitat it lived in, tracking, and above all, the enjoyment of being in the woods, in addition to the fact that a successful hunt involves taking a life. She taught her young clients about hunting for food, hunting for enjoyment, and hunting to maintain the habitat that all animals need to survive. She also stressed the importance of adapting the hunt to the child and not the other way around. For us adults a hunt can challenge our patience, our physical and mental stamina, and our ability to withstand extremes of weather and we re OK with that. These challenges must be modified to be suitable to the capabilities of a 12- or 14-year-old. To quote Debbie again, The hunt has to be adapted to what the young hunter can do, and enjoy. The duration of the hunt has to be modified to fit the mental and physical abilities of the young hunter. Adult hunters can hunt for four or six hours, or even all day, and enjoy the hunt. Youngsters have a much shorter attention span. There s no point in hunting a certain number of hours, if all that s accomplished is to make the youngster miserable. Debbie advised me that when on a stand with a youngster, make a game out of watching squirrels, mice, and birds. It s important, she said, to keep the young hunter alert and actively participating, to call the child s attention to all the things going on in the woods. And her final words of advice were perhaps the most important: Make it fun. Don t be too strict. 2nd Annual Maine Shed Hunter Get Together Saturday, June 23rd, 2018, from 10 am - 2 pm The Rangeley Region Guides & Sportsmen s Association (The Clubhouse is located on Old Skiway Road in Oquossoc, Maine) Just like last year s event at SAM Headquarters in Augusta, this event will be an informal get together of some of Maine s Shed Antler addicts from across the state. Shed hunters are encouraged to join us for a gathering to show off some of our better or unique sheds, so pack up your sheds and bring them! There will be antler buyers & artists invited if you are interested in selling your sheds. This will be a day to feed your antler addiction and meet some of your fellow addicts! If you are an antler buyer or artisan, please contact Deanna at (207) for more info. Tickets are only $5 to attend (purchased in advance or at the door) Door Prize to be drawn! Proudly Sponsored by Maine Bowhunters Association SAVE THE DATE! SAM News May/June SPORTSMAN S ALLIANCE OF MAINE NOMINATING PETITION We, the undersigned voting members of the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine, in good standing, nominate, a member of the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine for at least the previous 12 months, for Board membership. Signature NOTICE SAM s Annual Membership Meeting and Save our Heritage Banquet & Auction Saturday, September 8, 2018 Waterville Elks Lodge, 76 Industrial Street, Waterville, Maine SAM By-Laws Update Current SAM By-laws (Article V Section 2): The Officers of the Alliance shall be elected by the Board of Directors from among its membership, in accordance with procedures in Article IV, Section 4, Subsection J. All of the Officers herein named shall hold office for one (1) year, commencing with the end of the first Board meeting following the annual meeting and until their successors have been elected and qualified, except in the event of resignation or disqualification. The president term shall be limited to two (2) three year terms. Amended By-laws (Article V Section 2): The Officers of the Alliance shall be elected by the Board of Directors from among its membership, in accordance with procedures in Article IV, section 3, Subsection G. The President shall hold office for two (2) years, the Vice President for three (3) years, Clerk for two (2) years, and Treasurer for three (3) years, commencing with the first Board meeting following the annual meeting and until their successors have been elected and qualified, except in the event of resignation or disqualification. SAM Board of Directors Term Expires in 2018 Nick Archer, Aroostook County Paul Davis, Piscataquis County Mike Shaw, Cumberland County Thomas Tyler, Cumberland County Mike Parker, Waldo County Term Expires in 2019 Dennis Keschl, Kennebec County Robert Howe, Somerset County Erik Hart, Kennebec County Thom Watson, Sagadahoc County Sylvia Bosse, Oxford County Name (please print) Address Term Expires in 2020 Dale Crafts, Androscoggin County Cathy Demerchant, Kennebec County Greg McNeal, Somerset County Butch Moore, Washington County For any seat on the Board of Directors subject to election this year, two hundred (200) or more members eligible to cast a vote at a membership meeting may nominate a candidate for Director, using this nominating petition. This petition in above form with 200 names and signatures must be filed with the Executive Director no fewer than ninety (90) days preceding the Annual Meeting on Sep. 8. You can find an official petition on our website that can be printed/copied to have adequate signatures.

4 4 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Notes from the Shooting Shack by Gerry Lavigne Coyote Education 101: A Tale of Ballistic Woes The education of a coyote can occur gradually or abruptly. In this case, it was some of both. During the fall, a family group of three coyotes began using my home bait. They had plenty to choose at the buffet, including slaughter leavings from four hogs, two deer, 20 domestic turkeys, and a lot of smokehouse scraps. The little pack started showing up in late October, but they never stayed around for long. Every once in a while they would appear on my trail cam, and one or more of them would trip the motion detector - always in the dead of night. Not wanting to spook them by using my green light, I chose patience, hoping to see them during the gray light of some future dawn. That opportunity came on December 19, For a couple of nights the pack had helped themselves to the larder, occasionally tripping the alarm. On the morning of the 19th, my son-in-law Jay was in position in the shooting loft. In the pre-dawn light, a coyote appeared at the back of the bait area 115 yards distant. Jay is a good marksman; he dropped that coyote where she stood. At 26 lbs. this was likely the sole juvenile that accompanied the mated pair. With Jay s shot my bait went dead, at least as far as coyotes were concerned. Sure, there was a bald and a golden eagle, crows, ravens, skunks, raccoon, and fisher still using the bait. But the remaining two coyotes abandoned it entirely. They were probably nearby when Jay killed the juvenile, and the mated pair took notice. That s one form of education, one that frankly cannot be avoided. Sometime in January, 2018, I noticed that the coyote pair still occasionally visited my property and its environs. With the development of a hard crust on two feet of snow, the pair had crisscrossed the abandoned beaver meadow northeast of my field. A few years back, I cleared a shooting lane which enabled me to scan a good portion of the meadow for some 300 yards beyond my shooting perch in the barn. The coyote pair also dug frozen apples from beneath the large wild tree located near the shooting lane. But even with a fresh road-killed deer lying only 100 yards Coyote Hunting and Trapping Primer Available Interested in coyote hunting but don t know where to begin? Does the thought of trapping the elusive coyote intrigue you? Well, SAM has published a Coyote Primer that just might get you started. Newly updated with over 20 new articles, this primer covers all the bases: hunting over bait, calling, hunting coyotes with dogs, and trapping basics. In addition, you ll learn about coyote Coyote Hunting and Trapping Primer Everything you need to know to get started (almost)! Produced by The Sportsman s Alliance of Maine s Deer Management Network Now in its Second Edition With Over 20 New Articles 2016 biology, deer ecology, and how you can improve deer survival by reducing coyote abundance. We ll even keep you on the straight and narrow with a section covering DIFW s coyote hunting laws and regs. This primer was co-written by wildlife biologist and avid coyote hunter Gerry Lavigne, and long-time Maine trapper, and publisher of Trapper s Post magazine, Bob Noonan. Both writers have also drawn from the experience of scores of successful coyote hunters and trappers right here in Maine. This primer will provide a major boost along the learning curve for novice hunters and trappers. But we re betting that even veterans to the coyote hunting and trapping scene will find plenty of useful info. The Coyote Hunting and Trapping Primer is a product of SAM s Deer Management Network initiative. At SAM, we believe hunters can play a key stewardship role in protecting deer and improving our own deer hunting experiences. Advancing the concept of predation management by providing sound knowledge about coyote hunting and trapping will help to recruit interested hunters and trappers. The primer is available for only $12 postpaid. To obtain your copy, contact Becky Morrell at the SAM office by phone: (207) ; by mail: 205 Church Hill Rd., Augusta, 04330; or by becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org Spent.223 Remington hollow point bullet that travelled 235 yards before skidding on ice and tucking under a bedded coyote. G. Lavigne photo. from that tree, these coyotes chose mushy old frozen apples instead! That bait site remained strictly off limits to them. With the pair still frequenting the area, I established a new bait site just inside the beaver meadow shooting lane. They began using this bait, but I had not gotten a glimpse of these wary coyotes until late February. And boy, did I get an eyeful! The morning of February 24 was cold, gray, and cloudy. A skiff of sleety snow had fallen overnight, and I found myself looking out on the beaver meadow a little before daylight. A few minutes later, a pair of coyotes came racing into view on the meadow, some 250 yards away. One was clearly larger than the other, and they were chasing each other back and forth at high speed, like a pair of rambunctious puppies. It being the breeding season, I was treated to a rare glimpse of courtship behavior. The playful chasing went on for a couple of minutes, and then the pair disappeared from view. I was only slightly disappointed at my inability to line up a shot. After all, it s not every day one gets to observe unwary coyotes at play (and courtship). Not long afterward, the randy coyote pair came racing into view again. But this time, they chased only briefly. Then the smaller, presumed female coyote decided to lie down on the ice at 235 yards. Her mate leisurely walked into an alder thicket while she watched. At this point, temptation and poor judgement overcame me. With the female bedded and broadside to me, I placed the crosshairs on the middle of her chest and squeezed off a shot. At the report of the.223 Rem, the female jumped into the air and was off like a rocket. The shot had felt good, but clearly I either missed or wounded her. I switched guns to my trailing gun, a.22 Mag, donned a pair of snowshoes, and walked out onto the meadow to see what I had done. I found where she was bedded, and a cursory exam revealed no blood. I picked up her track and began to follow. No blood, no limp. No unusual travel pattern. She had hightailed it off the meadow and into secure cover in short order. She soon met up with her mate, and they travelled together straight away at a run. When they realized I was trailing them, they split up and continued on a generally eastward route. After about ¾ of a mile, I realized I was chasing a completely healthy coyote. At that point I returned to the beaver meadow, more than a little bummed about the miss. I decided to reexamine the spot where she had lain. Upon closer inspection, I noticed she had peed herself a bit, when she jumped up. Forward of the pee spot, there were a few clipped coyote hairs. Then I noticed something shiny gray among the hairs it was my bullet! My entire 65-grain hollow point bullet had tucked underneath that coyote without piercing flesh. In front of the bullet was a narrow trough extending about 15 inches back along my line of sight. That bullet apparently had skidded along the surface of the ice, rapidly shedding energy as it cut ice. Clearly, I had failed to account for bullet drop. When I had aimed for the middle of her chest, I assumed the bullet would carry with little drop. My rangefinder read 235 yards to my shooting loft. I thought I was sighted in at about an inch high at 100 yards, which would be on at 200 yards. If this were so, I should have plugged that coyote at 235 yards. So, I decided to check my zero (a bit late!). Both shots were in the bullseye at 100 yards, not an inch high. The ballistics table on my box of ammo confirmed my mistake. Bullet drop at 235 yards is predicted to be about 5 inches for a gun zeroed at 100 yards. That s about the distance from my point of aim to the ice surface for that bedded coyote. This wary pair of coyotes got another type of education that day. One that pinched a bit for the female, but another lesson learned. More than a month has passed, and this pair still shows up once in a while. They re still eating rotten apples, but they don t spend much time on the wide open meadow, Well, at least not in daylight. As you read this, that coyote pair is probably whelping a litter. Score one for the wild ones! SAM s Outdoor Partners Thank you to all of our Outdoor Partners for their continued generous support. For more information on the SAM Outdoor Partnership, please contact the SAM office at or becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org L.L. Bean Poland Spring Water Company Windham Weaponry Cabela s Kittery Trading Post IAMAW District Lodge 4 Huber Corporation W.S. Emerson Safari Club International Shipyard Brewery Trapper s Post Waste Management Robbins Lumber BRP Weyerhauser Co. NextEra Hamlin s Marine We encourage you to patronize our Outdoor Partners!

5 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM News May/June Sportsman s Alliance of Maine 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1 Augusta, Maine Telephone: david.trahan@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org cathyd@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org WEBSITE FACEBOOK Sportsman s Alliance of Maine OFFICERS President Cathy DeMerchant Vice President Nick Archer Clerk Thom Watson Treasurer Dale Crafts DIRECTORS Paul Davis Erik Hart Butch Moore Dennis Keschl Tom Tyler Bob Howe Greg McNeal Mike Shaw Sylvia Bosse Mike Parker STAFF Executive Director David Trahan Offi ce Manager Becky Morrell Offi ce Assistant Lisa Kimball Facility Manager Jean Morin CONSULTANTS Wildlife Specialist Gerry Lavigne Youth Program Coord. Mark Goodridge The Sportsman s Alliance of Maine (SAM) is a non-profi t corporation founded in 1975 to promote conservation of Maine s wildlife resources and to be an advocate for hunters, anglers, trappers and gun owners throughout the state. SAM News is a publication of the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine. It is published 6 times per year. Meetings of the SAM Board of Directors are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 5:00 p.m. at the SAM Conference Center in Augusta, Maine. All editorial and advertising inquiries should be directed to the address or listed above. THE FOUNDERS OF S.A.M. In the fall of 1975, CBS News ran a one hour TV show entitled, The Guns of Autumn. It was an openly blatant attack on hunting traditions and guns in general. Ed Armstrong of Hampden watched that show and was incensed by its content. The next morning Ed called Bud Leavitt, sports editor of the Bangor Daily News and told him that Maine needed a statewide active organization to protect hunting and gun owners rights. Bud gave him the telephone number of Doc Garcelon, an Augusta dentist who was then on the Board of Directors of the National Rifl e Association (NRA). Ed called Doc, and they met the following week with the following individuals who, over the course of several months, formed the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine. The rest is history! Ed Armstrong - Hampden Maynard Connors - Franklin Oscar Cronk - Wiscasset Doc Garcelon - Augusta Mac Herrick - Blue Hill Tieche Shelton - Augusta Harry Vanderweide - Augusta As I write this report it marks the 34th day in a row that we have worked either in the office or at a sportsman show. Thank God our staff is passionate about the work we do or we might be looking for new help. In all seriousness, Becky and Lisa deserve some sort of special recognition for the tremendous effort they put in during the show season. In addition to their efforts, our Board of Directors stepped up when we needed them to fill in and volunteer all over the state. Without these folks and our amazing volunteers who gave up their weekend we could not get the job done. Thank you to all of them, your efforts on behalf of sportsmen and women is amazing. Update Burn the Mortgage In the last SAM News, I announced we were embarking on an effort to raise $40,000 to match an anonymous $40,000 pledge to pay off the remaining debt on our conference center. I expected the effort to take until June to complete but I am proud say we are almost there! As of the SAM news deadline we were just $3,000 shy of the mark. That is six weeks early! I expect when I write the next SAM Executive Director s report we will be completely debt-free. I am humbled by our members generosity! Update: The mortgage goal has been reached!! See page 14. Land Update As I look out the window, it is 40 degrees and snow still covers most of the new 40-acre SAM property. I am anxious for good weather as we have a lot of work to do if we want to use it as an outdoor recreational site. I have applied for a Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund Grant to build a fishing pond on the site. We have already received a generous $2,500 donation for the project from Central Maine Power, and the Maine Bow Hunters Association is also considering a donation for the effort. In the next several weeks I will begin a fundraising campaign to develop the hiking trails, fishing pond, and other needed improvements, like field clearing, road building, and parking. I can t wait for warm weather! Gun Control Nuts! Nuts! Nuts! If you read the newspaper or listen to the ADVERTISERS The SAM News offers both full color and B&W ads in many different sizes, at affordable rates. A media kit with sizes, rates, and submission guidelines is available on SAM s website: For more information contact Becky Morrell becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org Executive Director s Report by David Trahan Springing Forward news, you would think we were living in the times of the Wild West. The press and anti-gun groups are losing their minds trying to find ways to take our guns. Unlike the past, they are now calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment! That s right, when some evil madman shoots up a school, instead of blaming the shooter for the awful act, gun control advocates want law-abiding gun owners to agree to give up their right to own firearms and have no way to defend themselves against the next crazy shooter hell-bent on killing people! Nuts! Nuts! Nuts! Our organization has taken a very reasonable and measured position on the gun control issues (I refuse to call it gun violence). We have introduced legislation to fund needed safety upgrades to Maine schools, and we have shown a willingness to strengthen our existing protection orders in domestic violence and mental health settings. Ironically, the same legislators pushing for more gun control are resisting better security in Maine schools! I will do a full report on that issue when the legislature finishes their work. In the coming months I think you will see a real hypocrisy amongst some who say they want our kids to be safe. Donated Items We are looking for used outdoor equipment for our September annual banquet, and to use for upcoming raffles. Our members have stepped up and donated shotguns, rifles, fishing equipment, and all kinds of other items. We turn around and raffle them and they help us generate needed cash to support our organization. If you have stuff collecting dust, consider making a donation. We are also looking for more taxidermy, particularly furbearers and fish, to put in the conference center. If you have a fish to display, consider loaning it to us for a while. Just call and we can make arrangements. Enough of this go forth and fish! Spring is here! A Tribute to Service Fishing Event Tuesday, June 19, 2018 Once again, Sportsman s Alliance of Maine has joined forces with Pine Grove Programs, to offer this free fishing day for our nation s military! We are now accepting reservations for this awesome event, for up to 60 people, maybe more, if we have even more volunteer boaters. Come join us for the day on beautiful Great Pond in Belgrade Lakes, meet new friends, see old ones, and hopefully catch some fish! We have some handicapped accessible boats, don t let your wheelchair stop you from joining us! We hope to see you! WHEN Tuesday, June 19 WHERE Belgrades Community Center For All Seasons, Route 27, Belgrade ARRIVAL TI Between 7AM and 8AM WHAT TO BRING Sunglasses, camera, sunscreen, medications, rain coat and/or extra jacket WHAT YOU DON T NEED Fishing license, lunch, fishing gear HOW TO SIGN UP Call Andrea at or at almhowe71@gmail.com VOLUNTEER BOATERS AND EVENT SPONSORS WANTED Call Andrea at or at almhowe71@gmail.com to register as a volunteer boater. Sponsors will receive their logo at the bottom of future flyers and on the event t-shirts. Thank you! Becky will walk you through the process, help design your ad if needed, and send regular ad deadline reminders if requested.

6 6 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SPORTSMAN S ALLIANCE OF MAINE - INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION SAM Legislation to Reform the Referendum System by David Trahan The Sportsman s Alliance of Maine worked with Rep. Luchini to write and introduce LD 1865, An Act to Increase Transparency in the Direct Initiative Process, that continues our efforts to reform the referendum system. The bill was voted 11 2 ought to pass as amended, and now goes to the full legislature. The summary of the bill is after our testimony. SAM Testimony, LD 1865: Senator Mason, Representative Luchini, and members of the Veterans and Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee, my name is David Trahan. I am the Executive Director of the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine, ILA, and I am testifying in support of LD 1865 and the proposed amendment to An Act to Increase Transparency in the Direct Initiative Process. First, I would like to thank all the members of this committee for the very thoughtful and deliberative approach you have taken to reforming the initiative process. I believe you have tried to strike a delicate balance between the right to petition, and initiative transparency and accountability. All three sections of this bill are an important step forward in helping to better inform potential petition signers of who is paying for a certain initiative, and whether a proposal is actually a Maineborn effort. In the last few years we have witnessed a non-resident financial takeover of our referendum system. According to a report done by Spendthrift Politics, in 2016 over $22 million was spent on five referendum questions, and $17.3 million came from out-of-state sources. What is disturbing about that trend is that no one from out of state, funding these efforts, is affected by laws they pass. We must find a way to give the referendum system back to the Maine people. You are likely to hear objections to this bill from some who use the referendum system to push their agenda. To date, many of these groups have remained anonymous, or under the radar, because contributors can launder their out-of-state money through (c)(4) non-profits which do not have to disclose contributors. The reason that is unfair to Maine residents is that small special interests based in Maine can pool money from 49 other states, and thousands of like-minded state and national groups, and then buy up our media outlets. Small groups and individuals in the state are then tasked with raising money from a relatively small Maine population. We saw that dynamic in 2016, and that trend continues in The latest Maine People s Alliance (MPA) initiative, to create a Universal Elder Care network funded by a 3% surcharge on incomes above $118,000, is a good example. According to Maine Ethics Commission reports, the Center for Community Change out of Washington, D.C. paid the MPA $150,000. They then turned around and used the money to pay their paid signature canvassers to get the issue on the ballot. Is that really a Maine-generated grassroots effort, or is it just part of a special interest s larger long-term agenda? It is not likely we will ever know the answer to that question, because it is impossible to know who funded the Center for Community Change for this money. The beneficiary of this bill is a better-informed Maine voter. I hope you will support it as amended. Thank you. Bill Summary, LD 1865 The bill states that a notary public, or other person generally authorized to administer oaths or affirmations, is not considered authorized to administer oaths or affirmations to a petition circulator if the notary public or person is also providing services to initiate that petition or promote the measure for which the petition is being circulated. It also provides that a notary public has a conflict of interest if the notary public provides services, other than notarial acts, to a campaign for a direct initiative or people s veto referendum, and also administers an oath to a circulator who is collecting signatures for that same direct initiative or people s veto referendum. The bill requires financial reports from major contributors to a direct initiative or people s veto referendum campaign. A major contributor is an entity, other than an individual, that makes contributions aggregating more than $100,000 in a calendar year to a ballot committee or political action committee for the purpose of initiating or influencing a direct initiative or people s veto referendum. The report must disclose the name and purpose of the organization making the contribution, the amount and date of each contribution, the five largest sources of income in the year prior to filing the report, whether the organization has received contributions for the purposes of influencing a direct initiative or people s veto referendum, if the organization is a Yes, I want to support the SAM ILA! Name: Address: Town: State: ZIP: Amount: Please send this form and check to: SAM ILA, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 3, Augusta, Electronic donations will be available in the near future. SAM ILA is a 501(c)(4); donations are NOT tax deductible as charitable donations for federal tax purposes. SPORTSMAN S ALLIANCE OF MAINE INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION SAM ILA President: Cathy DeMerchant Vice President: Erik Hart Clerk: Tom Tyler Butch Moore Krysta West Joel Pitcher Craig Poulin Address: 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 3, Augusta, Maine Telephone: Website: Facebook: Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Institute for Legislative Action GENERAL PURPOSE. The Corporation is organized and operated for the purpose of preserving Maine s Outdoor Heritage, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, trapping, and 2nd Amendment rights and will work within the meaning of 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as amended) or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law, including for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations which are recognized as exempt from tax under such 501(c)(4). MISSION STATENT:» To influence public policy to preserve Maine s Outdoor Heritage, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, trapping, and 2nd Amendment rights.» Develop and provide information on wildlife resources, field sports and conservation programs that will benefit such resources, sports and programs.» Educate the public concerning the American heritage of hunting, trapping and fishing.» Initiate and participate in litigation in the courts when necessary to protect the beneficial pursuits of hunting, trapping, fishing, and scientific wildlife management practices.» Promote and explain field sports, wildlife conservation and scientific wildlife management practices through literature, films, the press, television, and radio.» Provide organizations throughout the state with financial and management assistance to achieve these purposes.» Defend and protect the right of individuals to keep, use, and bear firearms. tax-exempt organization and if the organization has filed campaign finance reports in other jurisdictions in the past 12 months. LD 11 The Right to Hunt and Fish This SAM bill, to place the right to hunt, fish, and trap (harvest wildlife) in the state Constitution, failed to reach the 2/3 vote necessary to get it on the ballot. Sadly, we will have to wait another year to try again. Below is the language of the amendment, and the roll-call votes in the House and Senate. RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Establish the Right to Hunt and Fish Constitutional amendment. Resolved: Two thirds of each branch of the Legislature concurring, that the following SAM Institute for Legislative Action ~ Raffle Return this portion of ticket with donation to: SAM ILA, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 3, Augusta SAM Institute for Legislative Action ~ Raffle Return this portion of ticket with donation to: SAM ILA, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 3, Augusta SAM Institute for Legislative Action ~ Raffle Return this portion of ticket with donation to: SAM ILA, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 3, Augusta Order More Tickets! amendment to the Constitution of Maine be proposed: Constitution, Art. IX, 26 is enacted to read: Section 26. Right to hunt, fish, and harvest game and fish. The right of the people of this State to hunt, fish, and harvest game and fish, including by the use of traditional methods, may not be infringed, subject to reasonable laws enacted by the Legislature and reasonable rules adopted by the state agency designated for fish and wildlife management to promote wildlife conservation and management, to maintain natural resources in trust for public use and to preserve the future of hunting and fishing. Public hunting and fishing are a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. This section may not be construed to modify any provision of law relating to eminent domain, trespass, or property rights. SAM ILA Raffle Remington Woodmaster.308, Model 750 donated by SAM Member Edward Gwara Donations are NOT tax deductible. Drawing on July 31, SAM ILA Raffle Remington Woodmaster.308, Model 750 donated by SAM Member Edward Gwara Donations are NOT tax deductible. Drawing on July 31, SAM ILA Raffle Remington Woodmaster.308, Model 750 donated by SAM Member Edward Gwara Donations are NOT tax deductible. Drawing on July 31, YES! I want more tickets for this great raffle. I m sending you the tickets above and I need an additional tickets ($5 each). I ve enclosed a total of $.

7 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM News May/June SAM Legislation continued from page 6 House of Representatives roll-call on LD 11, Right to Hunt and Fish: a YES vote is in favor of killing the bill, while a NO vote is in favor of passing the bill. (The reason a YES vote means the legislator is in favor of killing the bill is because the motion by the Chair of the committee was to accept the motion ought not to pass. That motion passed.) ACKLEY of Monmouth *C N ALLEY of Beals D Y AUSTIN of Skowhegan D Y AUSTIN of Gray R N BABBIDGE of Kennebunk D Y BAILEY of Saco D Y BATES of Westbrook D Y BATTLE of South Portland I Y BEEBE-CENTER of Rockland D Y BERRY of Bowdoinham D Y BICKFORD of Auburn R N BLACK of Wilton R N BLU of York D Y BRADSTREET of Vassalboro R N BROOKS of Lewiston D Y BRYANT of Windham D N CAMPBELL of Orrington R Y CARDONE of Bangor D Y CASÁS of Rockport I Y CEBRA of Naples R X CHACE of Durham R N CHAPMAN of Brooksville G Y COLLINGS of Portland D Y COOPER of Yarmouth D Y COREY of Windham R N CRAIG of Brewer R Y DAUGHTRY of Brunswick D Y DeCHANT of Bath D Y DENNO of Cumberland D Y DEVIN of Newcastle D Y DILLINGHAM of Oxford R N DOORE of Augusta D Y DUCHESNE of Hudson D Y DUNPHY of Old Town D N ESPLING of New Gloucester R N FARNSWORTH of Portland D Y FARRIN of Norridgewock R N FAY of Raymond D Y FECTEAU of Biddeford D Y FOLEY of Wells R N FREDETTE of Newport R N FREY of Bangor D Y FULLER of Lewiston D Y GATTINE of Westbrook D Y GERRISH of Lebanon R N GIDEON of Freeport D Y GILLWAY of Searsport R N GINZLER of Bridgton R N GOLDEN of Lewiston D Y GRANT of Gardiner D Y GRIGNON of Athens R N Total to accept the ought not to pass : YES-75; NO-69 *C- Common Sense Independent GROHMAN of Biddeford I N GUERIN of Glenburn R N HAGGAN of Hampden R N HAMANN of South Portland D N HANDY of Lewiston D Y HANINGTON of Lincoln R N HANLEY of Pittston R X HARLOW of Portland I Y HARRINGTON of Sanford R N HARVELL of Farmington R N HAWKE of Boothbay Harbor R N HEAD of Bethel R N HERBIG of Belfast D N HERRICK of Paris R X HICKMAN of Winthrop D N HIGGINS of Dover-Foxcroft I Y HILLIARD of Belgrade R N HOGAN of Old Orchard Beach D Y HUBBELL of Bar Harbor D Y HYMANSON of York D Y JOHANSEN of Monticello R N JORGENSEN of Portland D Y KINNEY of Limington R N KINNEY of Knox R N KORNFIELD of Bangor D Y KUMIEGA of Deer Isle D Y LAWRENCE of Eliot D X LOCKMAN of Amherst R N LONGSTAFF of Waterville D Y LUCHINI of Ellsworth D X LYFORD of Eddington R Y MADIGAN of Waterville D Y MADIGAN of Rumford D Y MALABY of Hancock R X MAREAN of Hollis R N MARTIN of Eagle Lake D N MARTIN of Sinclair D X MASON of Lisbon R N MASTRACCIO of Sanford D Y McCREA of Fort Fairfield D Y McCREIGHT of Harpswell D Y McELWEE of Caribou R N McLEAN of Gorham D Y LARAGNO of Auburn D Y MONAGHAN of Cape Elizabeth D Y MOONEN of Portland D Y NADEAU of Winslow D Y O CONNOR of Berwick R N O NEIL of Saco D Y ORDWAY of Standish R N PARKER of South Berwick D Y PARRY of Arundel R N PERKINS of Oakland R N PERRY of Calais D Y PICCHIOTTI of Fairfield R N PICKETT of Dixfield R N PIERCE of Dresden R N PIERCE of Falmouth D Y POULIOT of Augusta R N PRESCOTT of Waterboro R N RECKITT of South Portland D Y REED of Carmel R Y RILEY of Jay D Y RYKERSON of Kittery D Y SAMPSON of Alfred R N SANBORN of Portland D Y SANDERSON of Chelsea R N SCHNECK of Bangor D Y SEAVEY of Kennebunkport R N SHEATS of Auburn D Y SHERMAN of Hodgdon R N SIMMONS of Waldoboro R N SIROCKI of Scarborough R N SKOLFIELD of Weld R N SPEAR of South Thomaston D Y STANLEY of Medway D N STEARNS of Guilford R Y STETKIS of Canaan R N STEWART of Presque Isle R N STROM of Pittsfield R N SUTTON of Warren R N SYLVESTER of Portland D Y TALBOT ROSS of Portland D Y TEPLER of Topsham D Y TERRY of Gorham D Y THERIAULT of China R N TIMBERLAKE of Turner R N TIPPING of Orono D Y TUCKER of Brunswick D Y TUELL of East Machias R N TURNER of Burlington R N VACHON of Scarborough R Y WADSWORTH of Hiram R N WALLACE of Dexter R N WARD of Dedham R N WARREN of Hallowell D Y WHITE of Washburn R N WINSOR of Norway R N WOOD of Greene R N ZEIGLER of Montville D Y Senate Roll-call LD 11, #526, Right to Hunt and Fish: (YES vote is in favor of the bill.) BELLOWS of Kennebec D N BRAKEY of Androscoggin R Y BREEN of Cumberland D N CARPENTER of Aroostook D N CARSON of Cumberland D N CHENETTE of York D N CHIPMAN of Cumberland D N COLLINS of York R Y CUSHING of Penobscot R Y CYRWAY of Kennebec R Y DAVIS of Piscataquis R Y DESCHAMBAULT of York D Y Total: YES 20; NO-13 DIAMOND of Cumberland D Y DILL of Penobscot D Y DION of Cumberland D E DOW of Lincoln R Y GRATWICK of Penobscot D N HAMPER of Oxford R Y HILL of York D N JACKSON of Aroostook D Y KATZ of Kennebec R N KEIM of Oxford R Y LANGLEY of Hancock R Y LIBBY of Androscoggin D N MAKER of Washington R Y MASON of Androscoggin R Y MILLETT of Cumberland D N MIRAMANT of Knox D N ROSEN of Hancock R Y SAVIELLO of Franklin R Y THIBODEAU of Waldo R Y VITELLI of Sagadahoc D N VOLK of Cumberland R Y WHITTEMORE of Somerset R Y WOODSO of York R Y I remember it was a cool October day when I went outside to do yardwork with my husband. I remember dressing in layers and not having to deal with mosquitos. I remember that I stood in the yard along the woods line while my husband threw brush and other debris out into the yard for me to put into the wagon to be disposed of. And I remember that, at the end of the day, less than 12 hours later, I had an engorged tick attached to my side, and my life was forever changed. This was 2009, and no one was talking about the tick problem like they are today. People went about their business, playing in the yard, going for walks and even hunting without taking any precautions against ticks. There s a saying, You won t get it until you get it, and I ve seen that from a front-row seat. In my 2-year journey for a diagnosis, followed by years of treatment after treatment trying to find what I would respond to, my view from the front row has evolved. Given all that I and my family have gone through, and hearing the fear in people s voices when they even think about sending their children out to play or off to camp, I know that sharing my story is motive enough for me to have implemented a prevention plan into my daily routine. But is it enough for you? Is it enough to just share my story in order to get people s attention, and get them motivated to their own prevention habits? Along with my story, I share about prevention treating your skin, clothing, pets, homes and yards but is it enough? Is it enough to share statistical data about the tick epidemic Maine faces, and how tick-borne diseases are on the rise? I share that in 2017, we had over 1,833 new cases of Lyme disease, 663 new cases of Anaplasmosis and 117 new cases of Babesia, a malaria-based tick-borne disease. I have even shared that I ve lost friends, and many advocates have lost their fight to tick-borne disease. But is that enough to make people sit up, take notice and start using prevention products? I ve blogged about the controversy surrounding Lyme and tick-borne disease that I knew nothing about when I first got sick, but that I got caught up in when trying to get treated. Why do medical providers fight one another over the care of a patient? Why is new research revealing diagnostic tools and treatment options being ignored? Why are more and more families going broke trying to save their loved ones by paying out-of-pocket expenses for treatment of what the federal Centers for Disease Control calls the fastest growing infectious disease that insurance companies are denying payment for? To those unaffected by tickborne disease, this is hard to wrap your mind around because you never imagine that you or your loved ones are going to get sick from a tick bite that is misdiagnosed and under-treated, and become debilitated with every passing week and month. But this is the reality of a chronic Lyme patient. Most of us know someone who is in this fight right now, and although you might be thankful that it s not you or your Lyme Time with Paula Jackson Jones Please Remember These Things family, without taking prevention precautions, its just a matter of time before our story becomes your story. I wear two hats: I share my story to prevent others from having a tick encounter, from going down the same path I was forced down with misdiagnosis and mistreatments. I also help those exposed to tick-borne disease get connected to the proper resources, in order to regain their health. Neither of these options were available to me when I got sick. I made a lot of mistakes, went to a lot of the wrong doctors, wore a lot of incorrect medical labels, and wasted a lot of time and money. I lost six years of my life and faced over $250,000 in medical expenses denied by my insurer, or not covered when I lost my job and insurance coverage. It s scary to lose your job due to chronic illness, and its even scarier to lose your insurance and wonder how you re going to pay for office visits, tests, and treatment. But this is the reality for so many Mainers who are afflicted with Lyme and tick-borne disease. I am an avid gardener, and I love to spend time outside in the warm sunny weather, playing with my dogs in my yard. I needed to have a plan to regain that back, once I went into remission. I didn t ask for that tick bite and infection that robbed me of so much, and I certainly didn t do anything to deserve it. But I also didn t do anything to prevent it. The takeaway from my column is this: If nothing else, please remember my story and what I went through. Please remember that having a tick encounter is a choice, and one that you will have if you do nothing about prevention. Please remember the fight that so many patients go through, the struggles and hardships they face from having a controversial medical condition that has medical providers at odds with one another, and one that keeps patients debilitated by misdiagnosis, insurance denials, and the inability to pay out-of-pocket for treatment. Maine has a tick epidemic that puts us in the No. 1 position of the top 15 most endemic states, but you have a choice to put into action a prevention plan for you and your family. Protect yourself, your pets, your home and yards, and get back outside, enjoying the outdoor activities and life in Maine as it was meant to be. For more information about prevention, please visit our website Paula is the President of the MLDSE, the Maine-partner of the national Lyme Disease Association, a member of Maine s CDC Vector-borne Workgroup, active in Maine s Lyme legislation, and a member of the Access to Care Services and Patient Support subcommittee of the Federal HHS Tick-borne Disease Working Group. You can reach her at: paula@mldse.org

8 8 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Brook Trout vs. Bass What Are We Managing For? by Jeff Reardon It s the night before opening day. In its infinite wisdom, Maine has declared April Fool s Day as the first day for open water fishing in Maine. I ve only deliberately fished a Maine Opening Day once. When I first came back to Maine in 1994, I fell in with a group of Belfast area anglers who had an annual outing to Grand Lake Stream for the opener. I m told there can be good fishing there on April 1, but it didn t happen for me. I rode from Belfast to Grand Lake Stream in a snowstorm, spent a few hours freezing in leaky waders with 20 or so other anglers ringing the Dam Pool, and never saw or even heard of a hooked salmon. The highlight of the day was an invitation to share another party s shore lunch in the parking lot. Hot dogs and beans go down nicely on a cold wet day, but by the time we were halfway back to Belfast I was struggling to keep things contained. I spent the next day and a half within a dozen steps of the toilet. I haven t fished an opener since. April Fool s Day is preceded by March Madness, which started as a college basketball tournament and has turned into a marketing extravaganza rivaled only by the Super Bowl. This year s over-thetop example came to me via Facebook: the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game set up a 64-species March Animal Madness bracket to decide Who will win it all on April 1? I should have just ignored it, or chalked it up as an attempt to distract hunters, anglers, and fans from the mud-season shack-nasties with a bit of Facebook fun. But I couldn t, because the pairing that brought this to my attention was an Elite Eight match-up between brook trout and largemouth bass. I confess that, deep in my own shack-nasties, after voting for the brook trout, I became that-guy-on- Facebook and fired off a sarcastic reply asking whether on the wildlife side of the brackets we d see a match-up of moose vs. feral pigs, or wood ducks vs. starlings. That should have been the end of it, but I woke up the next day and it still rankled. So I went to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Facebook page and found the original bracket. Four regions : Game (deer, moose, bear, turkey, ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare, wood duck and surf scoter); Non-Game (Canada lynx, New England cottontail, timber rattlesnake, Blandings 4 th Annual Gun Show OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOOD AVAILABLE - PLENTY OF FREE PARKING Admission is $5 per person Children 12 and under FREE (must be accompanied by an adult) June 2nd - 9am to 5pm June 3rd - 9am to 2pm 81 Plains Road, Hollis Center, All firearms laws will be observed Managing waters for the health of native fish populations where possible was ranked highest by all Maine anglers surveyed in all parts of the state. Dee Dee Reardon photo. turtle, piping plover, little brown bat, Karner blue butterfly, and marbled salamander); Saltwater (Atlantic cod, striped bass, winter flounder, oyster, lobster, river herring, and mackerel). And then I got to the Freshwater fish bracket: brook trout, Atlantic salmon, lake trout. Good so far. Hornpout, a clear Cinderella pick, but a native species with a small but devoted base of fans. Filling out the rest of the bracket were northern pike, largemouth bass, black crappie, and walleye. Not one of those fish is native to New Hampshire. Half of the bracket is fish that wouldn t exist in New Hampshire without human intervention. It was as though the NCAA committee ran out of competitive US college teams and brought in four from Canada. This shouldn t surprise me. Although most states put management and wildlife in the same agency, they have always been different. Wildlife management in America began early in the 20th Century, in response to the realization that species like the bison and the passenger pigeon were nearing extinction. From the beginning, conservation and management efforts aimed to protect the habitat wildlife needed to survive. The creation of the National Wildlife Refuge system was among the first conservation efforts. By 1934 every duck hunter was required to buy a duck stamp, with the revenue used EXHIBITOR INFORMATION 30 Tables Available 8 foot tables at $35 per table Exhibitors should start set up by 7am CONTACT: Shawn Sage Mail application with payment to: Shawn Sage 84 Lower Tarbox Road Hollis Center, to protect wetlands and wildlife habitat. Wildlife managers regulated harvest and protected important habitat. Fisheries management started a lot earlier here in New England, in response to the decline in our sea-run fish. In 1864, New Hampshire founded the first state fish commission in the United States. By 1866 the rest of the New England states, along with New York, New Jersey, and Michigan, had joined them and formed a Regional Fish Commission. From the beginning, the goal was collecting fish eggs to support fish stocking. The first efforts tried to restore New England salmon runs with eggs collected from Canada. By 1872 a major focus was to establish East Coast fish like shad and striped bass in the Pacific, and bring West Coast fish like rainbow trout and Pacific salmon to the Atlantic. At the same time, fish culturists were trading fish around the globe. Maine saw the first introduction of smallmouth bass in 1868; common carp in 1879; brown trout in 1885; largemouth bass in 1897; black crappie in 1921; and rainbow trout in the 1930s. While attempts to use hatcheries to restore lost stocks of native fish like salmon were almost completely unsuccessful, these introductions of non-native freshwater game fish took. And how. The USGS s Non-Indigenous Aquatic Species data base has some great resources to show this. Timeline maps show these species expanding their range as more and more introductions occurred. Use the search box here, nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/spsimplesearch. aspx, type smallmouth bass, and click on the link for animated map. Red dots show a few known smallmouth bass populations in Maine by They explode to cover the southern two-thirds of the state by 2000, and by 2010 the first bass appear in the St. John Valley. They didn t get there by swimming. About 5 years ago, I made a presentation with Dave Trahan at the Forks Fish and Game Club. After we talked about protecting the Cold Stream Forest Property for its brook trout and deer habitat, From the beginning, the goal was collecting fish eggs to support fish stocking. The first efforts tried to restore New England salmon runs with eggs collected from Canada. during the Q&A one of the attendees said he d just moved here from out of state, and while he loved the trout fishing, he wished there were bass closer to his home near Jackman. Why do I need to drive all the way over to Indian Pond to bass fish? Couldn t we put bass closer to Jackman? Not long afterwards, I heard the rumor that bass were starting to show up in big lakes near Jackman. We don t see this on the wildlife side. Part of that is a matter of logistics. It s a lot harder to trap and move birds or mammals than it is to toss a few bass in a 5-gallon bucket and drive 50 miles. But a bigger factor is the different expectations that hunters and anglers bring to their sport. Few of us expect the state to show up at local woodlots with truck-loads of deer for November hunters to shoot, or expects DIFW to stock gamebirds if a new subdivision goes in and eliminates a nice partridge and woodcock cover. But we do expect the stocking truck at local streams and ponds every spring. When a bad culvert blocks a spawning tributary on a trout pond, we ask for an annual truckload of fish instead of demanding it get fixed. We ve been trained that way by 150 years of fisheries management. Maybe it s time we go back to basics. The Legislation creating the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife set the Department s mission: to preserve, protect and enhance the inland fisheries and wildlife resources of the State; to encourage the wise use of these resources; to ensure coordinated planning for the future use and preservation of these resources; to provide for effective management of these resources; and to use regulated hunting, fishing and trapping as the basis for management of these resources whenever feasible. Fishing is a management tool, not the only ruler by which good management should be judged. Anglers seem to get that. In 2016, the Department conducted a survey of Maine anglers. License holders were randomly selected and responded to a detailed questionnaire. ( ifw/docs/anglerreport_2016.pdf) More than 400 questions were asked, and there were more than 1,000 responses. The findings provide some direction for DIFW as it works to update its Strategic Management Plans for fisheries. Anglers were asked to rank, on a scale of 1-10, the importance of various management priorities. Among all anglers from all regions of the state and out-of-state anglers, managing waters for the health of native fish populations, where possible was ranked highest. Brook trout are both the most-fished-for and the preferred target for Maine anglers. Meanwhile, over in New Hampshire, brook trout beat out largemouth bass in the Elite Eight, 271 to 124, and are facing off against moose for the championship. Perhaps there s hope for our native fish after all. I hope the fisheries managers are listening to what the public is telling them. After 150 years, it s time to put the native fish first, and let the fishing take care of itself.

9 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM News May/June State of Maine Sportsman Show a Huge Success! This year s SMSS show was one of the best in many years; the foot traffic was up significantly even though it was Easter weekend. The show featured dozens of new vendors and every corner of the Civic Center was filled with activities. The youth fishing pond remained a favorite for the kids as well as the archery range, laser range and fly tying. Hal Blood remained a big seminar draw along with dozens of other seminar speakers. The art room was filled with beautiful paintings and drawings. The attitude and general feedback from show participants was happy and positive. We share the show with The Maine Sportsman, but our own hard-working staff Becky and Lisa, as well as the Board of Directors carry a huge work load; they deserve a big thank you on a job well done! Youth Turkey Calling Contest Happy youngsters with representatives from the sponsoring companies. Thomas Sylvester (first place), Tanner Peaslee (second), and Clay Plummer (third). Adults are Steve Peaslee and Jason Jack of Maineiac Outdoors and Ted Nassivera of TSN Turkey Calls. Branden Denis Youth Lifetime License Program The Branden Denis Youth Lifetime Fishing License Program is sponsored by Keven and Susan Denis and SAM. Recipients of the 2018 Lifetime Fishing Licenses are: Ryder Ross, Kenden Desley, Liam Wood, Sean Champ, Nevaeh Jenkins, Kaelyn Ireland, Jayden Day, Emma Hubbell, Landin Harthorne, and Aiden Osborn. Game Camera Contest This year was the first annual State of Maine Sportsman s Show Game Camera Contest. We were ecstatic to receive over 250 submissions! The photos were judged and the top 25 pictures were displayed at the Show! You can see all the photos on the State of Maine Sportsman s Show Facebook Page. Andy the Armadillo from the Texas Roadhouse made a new friend at the show. The fly tying booth was very popular. First place: Nick Weaver Second place: Darryl Wood Third place and People s Choice Award: Matt Tripp Honorable Mention: Wendell White The Easter Bunnies enjoying their time at the Casting For Recovery booth Check out the art, photography and woodworking winners on the State of Maine Sportsman s Show Facebook Page

10 10 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Good Thing I Got that Lifetime Trapping License Looks like I m going to need it! by Ginny Hurley The author s first beaver, trapped February 2017, in Farmingdale, Maine. I have a restless curiosity about the world. I like learning new skills and venturing into new territory to try them out. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don t, but it sure makes life interesting. A year and a half ago I got my first trapper s license. When I started telling folks, most of the time they were shocked. I don t fit the picture of what a trapper should look like. Not nearly rugged enough. No beard. I guess I m an unlikely person to get into trapping, being a young gal of (almost) 65. But I was inspired by some great trappers with a lifelong passion for trapping. I followed along with them and watched how they made sets, where they put them. They taught me skills, shared secrets. Most of all they encouraged me to get out there and keep trying. During that first year trapping I caught five beaver and two muskrats. Beaver trapping is a real challenge. My hands aren t all that strong, and the large bodygrip trap springs were all but impossible to set. Skinning and fleshing took me days, instead of hours those guys made it look easy. This year it was March before I was able to renew my trapping license. I had intended to try coyote and mink, and do more beaver trapping. Unfortunately, a new job, illness, and a Caribbean vacation distracted me. Now most of the beaver season was past, but I still had a little time to get at least a few traps in. What a surprise I got when I finally made it in to DIFW, to renew my license. I d like to renew my trapper s license, I said, sliding my application under the glass to a new, young clerk. He seemed much too serious as he looked it over. Then he wanted to see my driver s license. Frowning at me he said, Ma am, do you know your driver s license is going to expire soon, when you turn 65? As if I wanted another reminder of that impending milestone. Just as I was about to suggest he lighten up, he gave me a big smile. Well, it is a little bit early, but would you like to buy a lifetime trapper s license today for $50? That stopped me in my tracks. I d paid $38 for my first annual trapping license, and now he was offering me a lifetime license for only $50? Before you could say Pickled fiddleheads! I whipped out my debit card and said, Sign me up! WOW! It ll probably take me the rest of my lifetime to learn to set those large #330 bodygrip beaver traps, or skin out a beaver without poking 15 holes in the hide, but with this license I had the time! Oh, the perks of turning 65! I knew exactly where I wanted to trap: a big swamp down the road from my house, near the Cobbossee. I d discovered the place by accident in late summer the previous year, when I was out scouting a big buck that had been spotted crossing the road at night, coming out of the swamp. One night a pickup, swerving to avoid hitting the buck, had gone off the road into a ditch. I suspected the buck might be bedding on high ground in the middle of this swamp, and I had seen a beaten trail into the area. Maybe I could get in there for a closer look. Possibly find a place for a tree stand. My small 12-foot canoe was just the right size to slip in undetected. Or so I thought. I paddled down a stream that took me into the swamp, twisting and turning like a maze through rushes and cattails. Tall grass closed in on the stream, and scraggly brush towered over me. My paddle tangled in underwater weeds. It was a jungle. I didn t see how a buck or any deer could get through that mess, but lazily I just floated along, watching this new landscape unfold, wondering what was around the next bend. Then suddenly splash! the slap of a beaver tail! That woke me up. He was close. I never saw him, but ripples gave him away. I followed the ripples until my canoe came to a stop against a small, mud-packed beaver dam. A row of cattails stretching from one side of the stream to another had been connected, packed with mud. This was interesting. I pulled to the side and got out onto a spongy bank riddled with chewed, spear-point stumps, sure signs of beaver activity. I hauled my canoe over the dam. Got back in, kept going. The stream circled around a peninsula. Possible site for a tree stand? Another small dam blocked the stream; again I crossed. I paddled downstream quite a ways, and saw that the stream was flowing into the Cobbossee. The sun was getting lower in the sky. I needed to get back, so I turned to go back the way I came. But it branched off in a different direction. And something caught my eye. As I ventured around a bend, down a narrow little channel, straight ahead on a brushy bank was a large beaver lodge. Splash! another tail slap startled me. Now I knew for sure: I was in Beaverworld! As I looked past the beaver house I saw many small runs connected to the shore. The banks of these runs were all packed with mud, carefully constructed by amazing beaver engineers. The perfect place to trap this coming winter. I was planning where I would make my sets as I paddled back upstream. I crossed back over the same two dams, and came out into open water. Almost back, I saw the head of some animal swimming right at me. I stopped paddling and drifted, just watching. It was a beaver, and he was swimming at me fast, so fast he put up a wake. I stopped dead in the water; he kept coming. I was an intruder, and he was charging at my canoe, protecting his territory. I thought he was going to crash right into it, but just before he did splash! his tail hit the water hard and he dived under my bow! That s how I knew where I wanted to trap. Now here it is mid-march, and I have my brand spanking new lifetime trapping license. I head for the swamp, permission granted by the landowner who assures me he thinks there are at least eight beavers. With my LL Bean waders on, I am off alone through a foot of snow across the woods along the swamp, pulling my sled packed with tools and pre-set traps that my son helped me with. I found the point where the beaver house and the small channels were. Had to dig out some heavy muddy clay, and I got so stuck in the mud I couldn t even move, but I remembered all the steps in this process. Nailed the traps to the poles. Placed them in the narrow places of the runs. Stuck in fencing sticks, dive sticks, stabilizer sticks. Wired off to the trees. Finally, took the spring safeties off. Gave myself a little pat on the back. I had a good feeling about this, recalling that day back last summer. A few days went by before I could check the traps. I was hopeful, and confident. But when I got on site, there was nothing. No signs of entry. Not even a stick had been moved. I called a trapper friend, and we went out together and looked it all over. Great job with the sets, Ginny, good placement, you did everything right. Only problem is, nobody s home in that beaver house. They ve moved on. Look at the bottom of that house; it s above the water line, and dry. Trees growing on top. Did you see any fresh chewings, cuttings, or tracks? Well, gosh no. I hadn t even looked. I had relied on my experience from before. It never occurred to me that they would have moved on. How could they, after all the work they did constructing those dams and channels? The landowner was positive he d seen lots of beavers. Apparently all this was old information. I had failed to make current observations, instead relying on outdated conditions, and secondhand info. Another lesson learned from Trapping 101: Always look for fresh sign. If no fresh sign, no beaver. So I pulled all my traps out, and tried some new locations. None of those panned out. So much for this year s season. Score one for the beavers, and zero for me. But I m going to keep trying. And learning. Good thing I got that lifetime Trapping License. Looks like I m going to need it! I love fur, says Ginny. It s beautiful, and entirely practical because it keeps me warm. I m willing to work for the privilege of wearing it, and I defend my right to wear it without guilt. By landowner s request I removed this nuisance beaver, ate the meat, and cut and sewed the fur into a Made in Maine garment I m proud to wear.

11 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM News May/June SAM Raffles! This issue of the SAM NEWS brings a new round of SAM Raffles. Windham Weaponry continues to generously support us with a WW.308 rifle and the Kittery Trading Post is offering a new $500 Gift Card. Included in this SAM NEWS, straight through until the fall, is the boat, motor and trailer package generously donated by Hamlin Marine. This package is set to be drawn on October 12th. Please feel free to stop or call the office or visit us at the Moose Drawing in Skowhegan in June or the Fryeburg Fair in October to take a chance on these fabulous item! We continue to be blown away by the generosity of our members and sponsors! Thank you for your support! SAM s Spring Raffle ~ WW.308 Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Spring Raffle ~ WW.308 Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Spring Raffle ~ WW.308 Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Spring Raffle Windham Weaponry.308 Rifle donated by Windham Weaponry Drawing on June 15, SAM s Spring Raffle Windham Weaponry.308 Rifle donated by Windham Weaponry Drawing on June 15, SAM s Spring Raffle Windham Weaponry.308 Rifle donated by Windham Weaponry Drawing on June 15, Aluma Craft 16' boat with motor and trailer, donated by Hamlin s Marine. $500 Gift Card for Kittery Trading Post. SAM s Spring Raffle ~ WW.308 Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Spring Raffle ~ $500 KTP Gift Card Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Spring Raffle Windham Weaponry.308 Rifle donated by Windham Weaponry Drawing on June 15, SAM s Spring Raffle $500 KTP Gift Card donated by Kittery Trading Post Drawing on June 15, Raffle Winners THANKS TO OUR MBERS AND SUP- PORTERS, our SAM Raffles continue to be one of our largest fundraisers. Thank you for your continued financial contributions! The Fall Raffle of a $500 Kittery Trading Post Gift Card was won by Charles LaBay. Mr. LaBay, a long time SAM Member, was overjoyed to hear the news of his winning and looks forward to visiting Kittery Trading Post to cash in on some goodies. The Winter Raffle was full of AMAZING items, each one superb in its own way. Becky with the Windham Weaponry.308 rifle, donated by Windham Weaponry. SAM s Spring Raffle ~ $500 KTP Gift Card Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Spring Raffle ~ $500 KTP Gift Card Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Spring Raffle ~ $500 KTP Gift Card Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Super Raffle ~ New Boat, Motor, Trailer Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Spring Raffle $500 KTP Gift Card donated by Kittery Trading Post Drawing on June 15, SAM s Spring Raffle $500 KTP Gift Card donated by Kittery Trading Post Drawing on June 15, SAM s Spring Raffle $500 KTP Gift Card donated by Kittery Trading Post Drawing on June 15, SAM s Super Raffle NEW Alumacraft Boat, Motor & Trailer donated by Hamlin s Marine Drawing on October 12, Windham Weaponry donated a.308 rifle and Wicked Water Graphics did the hydrographics and logos on the side of the rifle it was so cool! Norman Voelkel of North Anson, (above) is the winner of this one-of-a-kind rifle. He was stunned and overjoyed to receive the phone call and couldn t believe his ticket was drawn! Gil and Dot Gilpatrick generously donated a second 16 cedar strip canoe which was built by the Outdoor Resources classes of 1992 and 1993 at The State of Maine Sportsman s Show! Lisa Wardwell won this beautiful canoe and as you can see by her smile, she is overjoyed to own this beautiful piece of historic workmanship! Kittery Trading Post continues to generously donate $500 gift cards for our raffles; the Winter Raffle KTP Gift Card was won by David Sears of Sweden,. David stated, I ve never won anything!, so we are excited that he won this raffle and gets to enjoy a $500 shopping spree at KTP! We are so very fortunate to have wonderful members and sponsors who donate to our raffles thank you for your continued support! Thank you to those who purchase raffle tickets, not just to take a chance on an exquisite item, but also to support our mission! We are grateful for your support! SAM s Super Raffle ~ New Boat, Motor, Trailer Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Super Raffle ~ New Boat, Motor, Trailer Name Town Phone Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta SAM s Super Raffle ~ New Boat, Motor, Trailer Return this portion of ticket with donation to SAM, 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta Order More Tickets! SAM s Super Raffle NEW Alumacraft Boat, Motor & Trailer donated by Hamlin s Marine Drawing on October 12, SAM s Super Raffle NEW Alumacraft Boat, Motor & Trailer donated by Hamlin s Marine Drawing on October 12, SAM s Super Raffle NEW Alumacraft Boat, Motor & Trailer donated by Hamlin s Marine Drawing on October 12, YES! I want more tickets for this great raffle. I m sending you the tickets above and I need an additional tickets ($5 each). I ve enclosed a total of $.

12 12 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM News Briefs A 72-lb. Maine Coyote? No way! by Gerry Lavigne Left: domestic dog/wolf hybrid. Right: mature Maine coyote. The dog/wolf hybrid had escaped captivity and was roaming at large in Waldo County when struck by a motor vehicle on March 2, The neutered male dog/wolf hybrid weighed 72 lb. while the mature Maine coyote weighed 37 lb. Gerry Lavigne photo. On March 2, 2018, a motorist fatally injured a large canine in Waldo County, Maine. The animal was taken into possession by an individual who thought he had acquired a state record coyote, and he bragged something to that effect on Facebook. This posting got the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife s (DIFW) attention, and ours at SAM. On March 4, 2018, I was able to examine this canine before turning it over to a DIFW official. The canine weighed 72 lbs. on a dairy scale. I was not able to verify the weight, but this critter dwarfed a 37-lb. mature eastern coyote which I had brought along for comparison. It was noticeably longer and taller. Although the coloration of both specimens was similar, the 72-lb. animal had a blockier head and larger feet than my coyote. Several of its teeth had been broken, including three of four canine teeth. The broken teeth were unrelated to the collision with the motor vehicle. Viewed from the front, this animal appeared to have some dog-like features. The mystery canine was a male which had been neutered, and later examination by DIFW revealed it had an ID chip embedded in the SAM News Distribution Thank you to the businesses below for allowing us to distribute the SAM News in their stores! AUBURN Dag s Bait & Tackle Reid s Gun Shop AUGUSTA Wal-Mart BANGOR Wal-Mart BATH Ace Hardware Brackett s Market BRIDGTON Uncle Lunkers Bait & Tackle BRUNSWICK CNR Trading Post CASCO Casco Village Variety DRESDEN Dresden Take-Out Merrymeeting ERROL, NH L.L. Cote FARMINGTON Jack s Trading Post Wal-Mart GRAY Howell s Range & Gunshop HOLDEN Maine Military Supply JAY Good Life Guns JEFFERSON Peaslee s Quick Stop LYNCHTOWN TWP Bosebuck Mountain Camps NEWPORT Trading Post Wal-Mart NORWAY Woodman s Sporting Goods shoulder. Not a coyote at all! This canine was a domestic dog/wolf hybrid which had escaped captivity. Until recently, captive domestic dog/wolf hybrids were not uncommon in Maine. But that changed a few years ago when new legislation went into effect. Now, anyone who wants to own a dog/wolf hybrid must qualify for a Wildlife Possession Permit (from DIFW). Among other conditions, the animal must be permanently identified with a chip and/or tattoo, and it must be spayed or neutered. Over time, these stringent requirements should reduce the population of dog/ wolf hybrids in Maine. And by extension, there should be fewer of these large canines being allowed to escape into the wild. I do not know how long this particular dog/wolf hybrid has been roaming wild in central Maine, but according to DIFW s website several others have preceded it over the past two decades or so. Although not a coyote or a pure wolf, these dog/wolf hybrids are certainly capable of killing deer. And they may team up with coyotes to do so. At least this individual could not interbreed with wild coyotes and pass on its genes. OLD TOWN Old Town Trading Post OQUOSSOC Rivers Edge Sports POLAND Fineline Gun Shop Top Gun of Maine Shop & Range RANGELEY Rangeley Region Sport Shop RUMFORD Wal-Mart TURNER Northeast Firearms WEST PARIS J&K Sports WINTHROP Audette s Hardware WISCASSET Ames True Value Maxwell s Market MAY 5 Women on Target Instructional Shooting Clinic for women and girls, ages 15+. $30. Royal River Rod and Gun Club, Fish Hatchery Rd., New Gloucester 5 6 Biddeford Gun Show. Biddeford Ice Arena, 18 Pomerleau St., Biddeford 12 Women s Day on the Range. York County Fish and Game Association. $35 YCFG members, $70 nonmembers Norway-Paris Fish and Game Gun and Craft Show. Oxford Fair Grounds, Coldwater Brook Rd., Oxford 27 SAM Youth Open Range Day. 1pm- 4pm, SAM HQ, 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta JUNE 2 3 Buxton Hollis Rod and Gun Club Annual Gun Show. 81 Plains Rd, Hollis 9 Maine Moose Lottery. Skowhegan (events going on all weekend long) 10 SAM Youth Open Range Day. 1pm- 4pm, SAM HQ, 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta 19 Tribute to Service Fishing Event hosted by Pine Grove Program and SAM. Belgrade Center for All Seasons, Belgrade (see ad) 23 Maine Shed Hunter Get Together. Rangeley Region Guides and Sportsman s Association, Old Skiway Rd., Oquossoc Calendar of Events 24 SAM Youth Open Range Day. 1pm- 4pm, SAM HQ, 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta 30 Maine Sporting Dog Association State Championship Bear Trial. 29 Cates Rd., Dixmont JULY 8 SAM Youth Open Range Day. 1pm- 4pm, SAM HQ, 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta Northeast Trappers Convention Bangor Road, Clinton 22 SAM Youth Open Range Day. 1pm- 4pm, SAM HQ, 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta AUGUST 4 5 Wiscasset Rod and Gun Club Gun Show. Wiscasset Community Center, 242 Gardiner Rd. 5 SAM Youth Open Range Day. 1pm- 4pm, SAM HQ, 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta 19 SAM Youth Open Range Day. 1pm- 4pm, SAM HQ, 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta SEPTEMBER 8 SAM s Annual Banquet and Auction. Waterville Elks Lodge, 76 Industrial St., Waterville 8 9 Bangor Gun Show. Anah Shrine, 1404 Broadway, Bangor Thanks to our volunteers! Thank you to our devoted SAM Members for another stuffing envelope marathon! Thank you to Darrell Clark, Jim Bourque, John Martin, Pearl Scribner, Lisa Riopell-Gonzalez, Ken Scribner, David Sokasits and Doug Medina. SAM Land Update Volunteers needed to help work on SAM s land this spring. If you can spare some time to help work on the land, please contact the SAM office by phone at or at becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org Moved recently or not receiving your SAM News? Please contact the SAM office at or becky@ sportsmansallianceofmaine.org to update your address. Messages from Members NEW! Thank you for your continued efforts for hunters, fishermen & educational programs. SAM Member Tom Voyer, Swampscott, MA Traveled to Cabela s and got a great SAM Discount! SAM Member Marcel Montane, Perham, Maine The young lady at Cabela s took such care and was very helpful. She asked if I was a SAM member and gave us a nice discount. She even did cart wheels in the aisle when we applied for their credit card. SAM Member Jerry Joles, Presque Isle, Maine An opinion piece in the Lewiston Sun Journal on March 9, 2018, written by SAM Member Ken Scribner, Durham, Maine: AR-15 Can Be Used For Hunting It seems that everyone considers an AR-15 rifle to be just an assault weapon. Not true. I have two grandsons, 10 years and 12 years old, who shot their first deer with their AR-15 rifles. Both grandsons are of small stature, therefore their dad started them with the lighter rifles. No one likes to read about school shootings, but don t blame it on the firearm. That AR-15 can sit in the gun rack forever and not hurt anyone. It s when the human factor is added that can then cause problems. It ain t what you have, but how you use it.

13 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Calling All Hunting Dog Owners Huntsmith Foundation Seminar Will Improve You and Your Dog by Greg McNeal Attention bird dog owners do you call and call and whistle and beep and still your hunting companion does not respond? Or does your dog creep in on the bird or just plain bust every bird and never hold a point? Then you should plan to participate in a Huntsmith Foundation Seminar. Square One Kennels in Fairfi eld, Maine is hosting Hall of Fame bird dog trainer Rick Smith on August 17 19, 2018, as he conducts his three-day Huntsmith Foundation Seminar. Rick has trained thousands of bird dogs of all breeds using the Silent Command method that he developed with his father, Hall of Fame trainer Delmar Smith, and his cousin Ronnie Smith. Their system has worked for hundreds of pointers, GSPs, Brittanys and hunting dogs of all spots. Most importantly, their approach to training works for handlers of all types men, women, young and old, professional and amateur. The seminar offers over 16 hours of handson opportunity for the handler and dog to become a better and more simpatico team. This system works for puppies, terrible twoyear-olds and even the older dog. During the three-day seminar you will be introduced to training methods that will transform your dog to understand and execute basic commands such as heeling, whoa, and standing silently on the chain gain. Your fi eld work will include introducing your dog to quartering and effectively using scent, pointing and steadiness, as well as an introduction to backing another dog on point. Rick s seminar is not a lecture only approach. Each handler will have plenty of opportunity to work with his or her Pudelpointer pup on table. dog to master each aspect of the Silent Command training. In addition, by working together with other handlers and their dogs everyone multiplies their training experience by studying the behaviors and personalities of other dogs and their trainers. Rick is a very patient, conversational trainer. He walks you through the process and trains the handler as much or probably more than he does the dog. You will be introduced to a proven training technique that will give you the confi dence to properly train your dog and the importance of consistency. The cost is $395 per person for over 16 hours of intense but fun training. Space is limited to allow for plenty of one-on-one instruction. You can sign up by contacting squareonekennel@gmail.com or calling for more information. ANNOUNCENT The Sportsman s Alliance of Maine, (SAM) is accepting letters of interest and resumes from any member who wishes to serve on the Board of Directors (BOD). Each Director holds a term of offi ce for three years. The Board has monthly meetings to conduct business. The meetings are held at SAM headquarters in Augusta. If you wish to be considered a candidate for a future Director s position, you must satisfy the following eligibility criteria: hold valid SAM membership for the past year, and support SAM s mission. Please send resume and communications on this announcement to Becky Morrell at becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org SAM News May/June MBERSHIP APPLICATION Sportsman s Alliance of Maine 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta, becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org Name: Address: City, State, ZIP: Phone: Individual/Family Memberships Club Name: 1 Year $25 1 Year Senior (65 & over) $20 2 Year $40 2 Year Senior $35 3 Year $60 3 Year Senior $50 5 Year $100 Are you a veteran? Yes No Life Memberships Individual $500 Family $600 Senior Individual $250 Other Memberships Annual Sportsman s Club Membership $25 Includes 1 year membership for the organization as an entity (Individual club members will need to purchase their own memberships) Annual Business Membership $125 Includes 1 year membership, business card ad in one SAM News and 1 year of business card advertising on SAM website In addition to my membership dues, I would also like to donate to: $ SAM s General Programs $ Deer Management Program $ SAM ILA $ Firearms Programs $ Veteran Programs $ Youth Shooting Programs If you would like to make a monthy donation to SAM and have it automatically withdrawn from your account, please notify Becky in the office to set up a plan. Call or becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org Volunteer Opportunities I would like to volunteer for the following: State of Maine Sportsman s Show Annual Banquet Gun Shows Fundraising Offi ce help (mailings, etc.) Building maintenance Are you interested in receiving the SAM News electronically? Please the SAM office and let us know you are interested in having the SAM News ed to your inbox. Other (please specify) I have the following items/services I can donate to help SAM raise money to defend our heritage: Total Enclosed: $ VISA/MasterCard # EXP 3-digit code Signature to confirm you support SAM s mission and purpose. Where did you pick up this SAM NEWS? At the show At store From a friend Website

14 14 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Burn the Mortgage Campaign WE DID IT!! WITH YOUR HELP, WE RAISED ALL THE FUNDS TO BURN OUR MORTGAGE!! An anonymous SAM Life member has given us an opportunity to pay off our Youth Education Center and preserve its legacy! This SAM Life member has given us a gift: for every dollar we raise, his gift will match, dollar for dollar, up to $40,000 for our Burn the Mortgage campaign. We had until June of 2018 to achieve this goal, but we hit the goal on April 11th!! A sincere Thank You to the members who made a Burn the Mortgage donation! Below please find the second list of donors. The full list of donors will be listed on a plaque in the SAM Youth Education Center. $40,000 $35,000 $30,000 $25,000 Richard Crovo Bert Saldi Robert Cunningham Michael Allaire Steve Collins Joseph Rydzy Bill Fisher H. James LeBoeuf Jr. Arthur Craveiro Dennis Ellis Anonymous Anonymous Edward Russell Dave Singer Thomas Mullane Jim Volante Robert Jung Mervyn Keller Bruce Poliquin Dave Plowman Nick Thisse George Young Willard Taft William Demaso Jason Holyoke Stewart Russell Michael Mckenna Donald Philla Lincoln County Rifle Club Arthur & Sandra Ballard Ralph Crowell Frederick Kaiser Noel Austin Karl Schilling The Snowman Group Ed Armstrong Mark Armstrong Rich Armstrong Joseph Donnelly Robert Shaw Fred Bohnenberger Jr Mickey Tower Mr. & Mrs. Chester Tweedie Roger Vickery Christopher Wener Doug Swallow Allen & Dan Phillips Mark Casella Jr. Robert Morin David Roberts Wesley Jackson Jim & Charles Campbell Peter Cutler Thomas Watson William Perry $20,000 $15,000 $10,000 $5,000 Ralph & Elaine Johnston In Memory of David W. Hall In Memory of Alfred Porter Craig Gerry William Wenstrom Mr. and Mrs. R.W. Anderson Bernard Scribner John Martin III Wally Heathcote Norm Elvin Fred Scott Robert Matschke Tony Tuttle Adam Rothenberg David and Pam Trahan Victor Ferrante Steven Horne Norb Dotzel Jr Lenny St. Germain Summer Thompson Richard Wall Jr. Alfred & Lucille Bevins Richard Bryan In Memory of Alfred Porter Paul Stone Bill Prescott Theron Clough William Wink Durham Rod & Gun Club Richard Pickett Roy St. George Daniel McAllister William Centra Rep. Roger Reed Richard Cousins Robert & Ann Davis Jr. In Memory of Alfred Porter Anonymous Anonymous Rep Richard Bradstreet James Robbins Bucks Mills Rod & Gun Club Rep Paula Sutton Brook Family Foundation Hon. Thomas Skolfield Robert Foley Rep Catherine Nadeau Eric Wilcox Thom Watson David & Pam Trahan Bob Howe Forrest Smith John Scales Chris Henzie Becky Morrell Craig Poulin Cathy & John DeMerchant Greg & Stephanie McNeal Bill Murphy Frank Read David Johnson Timothy Harding Bill Vawser Charitable giving information can always be found on our website at Protect the Children from All Forms of Violence by David Trahan This column appeared in the March 25, 2018 edition of the Lewiston Sun Journal The thought of innocent kids, teachers, and support staff being shot in the nation s schools should shake us all to our core. Although I do not agree that guns are the reason people decide to perpetrate these horrible crimes, I do recognize that, as a defender of the right to own firearms, I must be engaged in discussing solutions that make schools safer. As a result, I worked with Rep. Patrick Corey, R-Windham, to introduce a $20 million school security bond that I hope will end up on the ballot this June. After the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, on behalf of SAM I introduced legislation LD 529, titled Resolve, Directing the Department of Education to Examine School Security. It was sponsored by Rep. Lance Harvell. In addition, a second bill, LD 905, introduced much later but with almost the exact same title, was introduced by Rep. Sheryl Briggs, a Democrat. After speaking with Rep. Briggs, we agreed to join forces, put the bills together, and fight to make Maine s schools a safer place to learn. As a result of that legislation, experts from the Georgia non-profit Safe Havens were employed (much of their work was done pro-bono) to evaluate school security in Maine. In January of 2014, the Maine Department of Education released a partial report on the findings of that study. It re- vealed serious security problems with public schools across the state, and made many security improvement recommendations. They methodically laid out three priority levels as money became available. Their highest priority to Maine lawmakers was to create the Maine School Safety Center. The center would act as a clearing house for leaders of Maine s public safety community and the Department of Education, school administrators, etc., to recommend proper training, facility upgrades and share information. Unfortunately, that recommendation has not been done. A portion of our proposed bond, $500,000, would establish the MSSC and provide a portion of the funding for individual school district training. There are about 620 public schools in Maine, and another 117 private schools. Since the study s release, many of these schools have made various security improvements, based on their ability to pay. Wealthier districts are in a more advanced position, while poorer school districts still need help. Many of those schools in need are older and were designed to be welcoming community centers, not fortresses. Many new schools, particularly in urban centers, have security built into their design and have full-time security personnel. For that reason, our bond uses the School Renovation Revolving Loan Fund (SRRLF) as the pass-through for schools to apply for money to upgrade their security. The way the money will be distributed is through an application process that prioritizes individual school security needs within the fund. What makes the process so appealing is that for poorer districts (those most in need), up to 70% of their no-interest loans are forgiven. In 2017, 81 schools applied for SRRL funds to do renovations such as new roofs, new gymnasiums, mold mitigation, etc. Forty schools were successful. Our bond language creates a new dedicated $20 million Maine School Security Enhancement Fund that also allows communities to supplement their projects with municipal, private, and federal funding. If that is not enough to get the job done, we will seek another bond next year. We also understand the SRRF fund is currently depleted to just $1 million. We hope to replenish SRRLF and pass the new $20 million bond. Both should be a priority. There is one common theme that runs through every decent human being on both sides of the gun debate we all want to see students, parents, and staff safe. We want them learning and teaching, not looking over their shoulders wondering if a school shooting could happen. I ask them to consider joining our effort in making our schools a safe place in all situations that can lead to violence. Maine students, teachers, and support staff deal with potentially dangerous situations every day, including bullying, domestic violence, drugs, and custodial interference. Our bond does not attempt to address potential shooter scenarios only; instead, we look to improve school security for all dangerous situations. It is unfortunate that the world and society have changed to the point where Maine schools are not the same place they once were. I believe we must harden our schools to all the growing threats. It is a sad day, but it is the reality we live in. Do You Have a Story to Tell? Do you have a story and photo that would inspire others? Hunting, fishing, trapping, camping? Get it published in the SAM News! your stories and pictures to Gerry Lavigne, dunlatrfarm@gmail.com. Don t hesitate Everybody s got a good story or photo! Include your name, address, phone number, and address if any. Photos should include people; please no shots of just landscapes or animals. Be sure to identify the people in the photo. Photos should be as large/high resolution as possible so they will reproduce clearly.

15 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Gifts to SAM SAM Member Eric Albee surprised us with this fabulous First Aid kit. This is a great addition to our facility. Thank you! Thank you to SAM Life Member Ken Groder and his son, for this amazing sign that we will proudly display at our events and in the facility. SAM Member David Wood, dropped off a beautiful Ithaca youth.22 rifle to be raffled off at our banquet. This will be a great addition to the items that will help raise funds to support our mission! SAM News May/June Donate to SAM just by ordering from Amazon Thank you to our members who have used Amazonsmile.com to help secure funds for SAM through your on-line shopping. Haven t done it yet?? It s so easy, go to com/ (log in with your amazon account, or make a new account) and choose the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine as your charitable organization. We ve taken in close to $200 from the Amazon Smile Program since we signed up in 2016! Please consider choosing our organization to receive the Amazon Smile donations. Help us to increase this very simple way of donating. Share this info with family and friends who shop on Amazon! Executive Director David Trahan (right) was delighted to receive a.22 youth rifl e donated by David Wood. The rifl e will be raffl ed off at the SAM Banquet in September. Thank you to L.L. Bean and Poland Spring for their generous 2018 contributions to SAM to continue our mission to promote, protect and preserve our outdoor hunting, fishing and trapping heritage and 2nd amendment rights. A big thank you to Vinny Pestilli and Benelli USA for donating a beautiful Benelli Super Nova 12 Gauge shotgun to help us raise funds to continue our good work! In Memoriam We thank the donor listed below who made a gift to SAM in memory of a loved one. In Memory of David Hall Lisa Burns Stephen Costa Carol Thomas Saltmarsh Insurance Charles Duran John Boyle Steve Melaragni Helen Lafreniere Charitable Giving Eric Albee donated a fi rst aid kit which will be a great addition to SAM HQ. Richard Cousins donated a unique gift, his saved up comp motel rooms that we were able to use while in Bangor at the Eastern Maine Sportsmen s Show and the Bangor Boat Show. This saved us close to $400; every penny saved is a huge help, thank you! Ken Groder and Executive Director David Trahan with the sign donated by Ken and his son. In Memory of Alfred Porter Brenda Thornton Eaton Peabody Lester Drew Judith Cyr Miles Theeman Janis Madden In Memoriam gifts are a wonderful way to honor a loved one who s passed, while making an important difference in promoting and preserving Maine s outdoor sportsman s heritage. Contact the SAM offi ce for further information on our In Memoriam program. Charitable giving can play an important role in many estate plans. Philanthropy cannot only give you great satisfaction, it can also give you a current income tax deduction, let you avoid capital gains tax, and reduce the amount of taxes your estate may owe when you die. There are many ways to give to charity. You can make gifts during your lifetime or at your death. You can make gifts outright or use a trust. You can name a charity as benefi ciary of your retirement plan or life insurance policy. Contact Becky if you are interested in making S.A.M. a part of your gifting. Sportsman s Alliance of Maine is a qualifi ed charity. We are able to accept gifts of cash or securities as outright gifts, by will of trust benefi ts and benefi ciary designations. Please let us know if you are interested in helping the organization while obtaining a protective tax benefi t. Becky Morrell becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org MONTHLY DONATION FORM Sportsman s Alliance of Maine 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta, becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org Name: Address: City, State, ZIP: Phone: Your automatic monthly donations will help sustain the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine to support our mission to conserve, maintain and protect our state s hunting, fi shing and trapping heritage. Monthly giving is the easiest and most efficient way to support The Sportsman s Alliance of Maine You can easily start, change or stop your gift at any time by phone or . At $10/month and above you will automatically receive an annual SAM Membership with all the benefits, logos and SAM News included. You will receive a SAM restaurant style mug or SAM Hat at $10/month and above Become a monthly supporter today! YES! I would like to support SAM with a monthly donation. Amount $10 $15 $20 Other $ Frequency monthly bi-monthly Please allocate my donation to: Life Member Endowment Fund Youth Endowment Fund General Fund Free gift (choose one) SAM Mug SAM Hat bi-annually Other Total Enclosed (check payable to SAM): $ VISA/MasterCard # EXP 3-digit code Signature

16 16 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Notes from the Trapping Shed by Bob Noonan Maine Coyote Pelts Increase in Price Over the past several years fur prices for almost all species have declined, especially raccoon and beaver. Coyotes, however, have been an exception, because there is a demand for them for trim for high-end parkas and jackets. For example, they are used on the popular downfilled, weather-resistant Canada Goose brand outdoor parkas that sell for $800- $1,000. Western coyotes have been the most valuable because, despite being slightly smaller, they have consistent, pale coloring, fine silky fur, and wide white bellies. They have averaged in the $100 range for the past 3 4 years. Eastern coyotes, referred to as Easterns in the fur trade, have been bringing considerably less money because they are coarser furred, have narrower, less clear bellies, and come in a variety of different colors ranging from almost black through brown, gray, and even reddish or blond. For some time, averages for eastern coyotes have been in the mid-$20 range. That appears to be changing as the demand for coyotes remains strong, and Easterns have increased about 20% in the last few international sales. ( Eastern is a regional classification that includes eastern Canada and the Northeastern states, including Maine.) Hunters for the Hungry Got Meat? Help Feed Your Neighbor Donate some of your wild game to Maine food pantries and kitchens We accept: Moose, deer or bear; whole or partial fresh carcasses; and packaged frozen meat from your freezer. Donating is free and easy: Simply bring your donated items to one of our cooperating meat processors. Hunters for the Hungry is a cooperative effort between the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. For more information, contact Jason Hall, Hunters For the Hungry Coordinator or , Jason.T.Hall@maine.gov or By mail: 28 State House Station, Augusta, Physical address: 333 Cony Rd., Augusta, PARTICIPATING AT PROCESSORS Alexander Blake s Slaughtering and Custom Cutting Anson Luce s Maine Grown Meats Arundel Laflamme s Boyd Lake Dunlatr Farm Wild Game Smokehouse Bridgton Dana Masters Charleston Maple Lane Farms Charleston Worster Custom Meat Cutting Deer Isle Downeast Meat Processing Dixmont Kenneth G. Demmons, Sr Fort Fairfi eld Joe Chasse Frenchville Dube s Custom Meat Processing Gray Dave s Deer Cutting Guilford Herring Brothers Meats, Inc Harrington Caler s Cuts DACF Emergency Food Assistance Program There are two large international fur auction houses, both in Canada. One is North American Fur Auction (NAFA) in Toronto, Ontario; the other is Fur Harvesters Auction (FHA) in North Bay, Ontario. Trappers, hunters, fur buyers, and dealers from all over North America send furs to these auction houses, where they are put into lots according to grade (fur quality, color, size, region, etc.). Both auction houses hold three or more auctions a year, and anywhere from 200 to 500 or more fur buyers and brokers come from all over the world to bid on the different collections of different furs. China is a major presence, as are European countries like Italy and Greece. Other countries like Russia are also present to varying degrees. At the February 2018 NAFA sale in Toronto, 14,193 Eastern coyotes were offered. Roughly 13% of those skins sold for $70 or more, with 762 skins bringing $100- $122. These were the exceptional skins; of the total 14,193 skins, nearly 100% sold for a $40.57 average. Not too shabby. In March 2018, FHA s Eastern coyotes sold for an average of $ That s more than double the $26.86 they brought in FHA s March 2017 sale. Basically what they re looking for in Eastern skins is size, the bigger the better, Hiram Paul C. Martin, Jr Lagrange Mid Maine Outfitters Livermore Falls Castonguay Meats Mapleton SPW Meat Cutting Millinockett Ron Darling, Sr Moose River Wildwood Custom Skinning and Butcher Monticello Folsom s Meat Cutting New Sharon Rian S. Hinkley Raymond Prime Cut Meat Market Readfi eld Fike s Custom Cutting Sabattus Sabattus Deer Processing Springfi eld Stevens Meat Cutting Winslow Boucher s Custom Cutting A fur grader from Mechutan Furs in New York City, grading Western coyotes at a NAFA sale prior to bidding on them. Mechutan Furs is one of the largest fur brokerage firms in the world. They broker for many overseas companies, with a lot of customers in Asia. and white bellies. Wide white bellies bring the best prices. Most of these will go on parka trim and be sold in the Orient. The wide white bellies that quickly break into dark sides are very fashionable among oriental women, because it accents their darker skin tones and black hair. The fur of Eastern coyotes is usually darker and coarser than their Western cousins. The best will be considered Good Color (GC) which is similar to the pale Westerns, but the Easterns almost always have a slight yellow tone. Many Easterns will grade Dark Brown (DBR) or Dark (DK) which means their fur will have a darker brown tone. DK skins will be very dark, and are usually coarser. Regardless, at this point in the game it s the wide white belly that sells. But if the skin doesn t have the wide white belly, it doesn t mean it s not salable. Yes, it will be worth less money, but $40 $50 averages are nothing to sneeze at. Don t forget, skins bringing this kind of money are prime, well-furred skins. These are not harvested during the early canine trapping season in October; some of these early skins are worth only $10-$12 because they have not had time to grow much thick fur yet. By mid-november most coyotes have grown thick winter fur, and the most valuable skins are taken from then to around Christmas time. By mid-january the fur begins to get rubbed and wooly from natural wear and tear: traveling through brush, bleached from sitting in the sun, broken off when frozen to the snow while sleeping, etc. These pelts may be graded as coming out of prime or past prime, but some can still be saleable. It s difficult to keep traps operating in winter conditions, so most coyotes harvested in winter are shot, usually over bait but sometimes by predator calling or being run by dogs. Pelt damage also has an effect on value, so firearm caliber selection is important. Most coyote hunters who want to sell the hides use small caliber, fast bullets that open rapidly and often don t even exit, so there is no too-large exit hole. The.204 Ruger,.222,.223, and are good choices. They are also very accurate. Furry coyotes may look like big targets, but their bodies are actually much smaller, with the chest kill area about 6 inches or less in diameter. This is a small target, especially at the yard distance most people place bait. But if the skin doesn t have the wide white belly, it doesn t mean it s not salable. Yes, it will be worth less money, but $40-$50 averages are nothing to sneeze at. Deer hunting calibers like the.308,.270, etc., are accurate and effective coyote killers, but they usually blow big holes in the pelt, making it valueless. The.243 can also do excessive pelt damage. Hunters running coyotes with dogs usually use a 12-gauge shotgun with #4 Buck. This is an effective close-range coyote killing load that makes numerous small holes that usually don t damage the pelt. But dogs are often allowed to chew on the killed coyotes, damaging the pelt. It s important to realize, too, that these higher prices are for well handled, put up pelts that have been stretched and dried. The coyote is skinned, the flesh and fat is scraped off the leather side, and the pelt is then stretched, leather out, on a wire or wooden stretcher until partially dry. When the leather begins to get stiff, the pelt is taken off the stretcher, turned fur out, and put back on the stretcher to finish drying. Fur quality and color is important to grading coyote pelts, so the fur has to be visible. Putting up coyote pelts properly takes time and skill, both of which some hunters lack. Some fur handlers will do it, but often charge in the vicinity of $15-$20 per pelt. You might also find a local fur buyer who will buy the unskinned animal, or just the skin, although of course they will adjust the price down to compensate for them doing the work. If you do find a fur buyer willing to buy them on the carcass, bring them to him fresh. If you let them lie around for several days, he might not even want them. Cold, stiff coyotes are very difficult to skin; as one trapper said, It s a knife fight all the way. I ve heard many stories about hunters who collected coyotes over several weeks, leaving them frozen in the garage or wherever, then have fur buyers tell them they won t even accept them for free. Coyotes skin fairly easily when fresh and warm, so I d advise skinning them the day you kill them. If you intend to sell just the skin, but can t do it for a while, turn them fur out, roll them up, and freeze them individually in those plastic grocery bags everyone has hundreds of. The best idea is to make arrangements with a fur buyer ahead of time. He ll tell you how or if he wants them. With good prime winter coyotes bringing more money these days, it may well be worth taking them home. It would be a shame to leave one of those $100 animals in the woods.

17 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM News May/June The Veteran Connection by Bob Howe A Tribute to Military Wives - Part II If you saw our column in the last issue then you know that we are trying to draw attention to an almost forgotten reality of being in the military community the hardships that military wives face on a daily basis. These are women who put up with an incredible amount of difficulty, all while supporting their husbands and maintaining the home front, allowing their soldiers to do their duty without distraction. It is a tough role which comes without a pay check, and they deserve our support. Not only do they face the mental challenge of the risk involved with their husband s work, they also are at the will of the military. If they are told they need to move, they do so. This often inhibits them from establishing lasting friendships, maintaining a career, and so much more. There is also the alone time. When your spouse is deployed overseas you d better be ready to spend Christmas mornings alone, and have no one around to blow out a birthday cake with. If you are very lucky you might have family nearby, but usually this is not the case. Instead the military wife, assigned to live wherever is deemed necessary, is often faced with the task of being a single parent, including all the hardships that entails. At Pine Grove Program we will be initiating a special opportunity for military wives to get away from it all for a while. This will include time at our lodge, where they can just relax and feel free of their constant burdens. This is new territory for us and we are hashing out the details, so we would love to hear from anybody who might have ideas or suggestions to make these retreats the most that they can be. Likewise, we encourage other lodge owners to open up their doors and recognize the role these women play in our country s defense. If you are not a lodge owner, there is still plenty you can do. It all starts with what I like to think of as basic kindness. The first step is to recognize the situation. Like their husbands, most military spouses I have met are strong people. They will not ask for help. Instead it will be up to an individual to look in from the outside and recognize what is happening. If you live by a military base you have probably seen this situation a thousand times. Don t be afraid to introduce yourself and share who you are, and that you understand what is happening. Once you get to know the person, take the time to figure out what you can do to help. It doesn t have to be any grand gesture; often, simply driving a child home from soccer practice or walking them to the bus stop can mean the world to somebody who is pressed for time. While on most bases, many outside chores are taken care of by the military. Elsewhere, however, that is not always the case. Helping out with something as simple as shoveling a driveway or mowing a lawn can be a big relief. In many cases these are women with young families, and offering to watch a child while their mother goes grocery shopping, gets a haircut, or even just sneaks away for a few minutes of quiet time, can do more to help than anything else. If you have other skills, those can also be of benefit. I guided one man who was an accountant who used his free time to help military spouses do their tax returns every year. He told me that while he didn t serve in the military, his father was in World War II and he had read the letters written from the Pacific between him and his mother that talked about his father s concern for how she was doing at home. In his own small way, the accountant knew if he could help ease some of these worries, then he was doing his part to make our soldiers better. As I said, at Pine Grove Programs we are still in the infancy of understanding what we can do to help. If you have an idea we would love to hear it. Please contact us at SAMVET Program Benefits TOWN COMPANY SAM VET BENEFIT All locations Motor Supply Company 10% off use code Belfast Tidewater Oil Company.03 cents off per gallon for retired veterans.05 cents off per gallon active military Bingham Thompson s Restaurant Free Coffee Bingham Bingham Auto & Truck Parts (NAPA) 10% off Brewer Awards Signage and Trophies 10% off up to $ Bridgewater #9 Lake Outfitters 20% off bear over bait hunt Ellsworth North Winds Stove & Fireplace, Inc. 10% off new stove, accessories & venting material. Restrictions apply Limerick Wild Cherry Woodworks 15% off regular price stock items Newry Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation Disabled Veterans get free access to year round recreation programs + 2 specialty sports camps Norridgewock Northeast Performance & Repair 20% off Norridgewock Everett s Tire 1/2 off mounting & balancing service North Jay Wood Pellet Warehouse Free delivery to all of Maine Pittsfield J. W. Parks Golf Course 2 for 1 Green Fees Pleasant Ridge D. Robinson Trucking 10% off trucking of gravel Pleasant Ridge PLT Maine Guide Snowshoes 10% off Skowhegan Akeeni Bait & Tackle 10% off entire order Solon New Frontier Taxidermy Studio 10% off anything South Paris Wicked Water Graphics 20% off to LEO and Military FREE Prosthetic dipping for veterans Waterville Dairy Queen (KMD) 10% off entire order Waterville Dairy Queen (College Avenue) 10% off entire order Waterville Howe s Sealcoating 15% off driveway sealcoating Westbrook LP Appliance & Furniture 5% off up to $ % off over $500. Wilton Sunrise Maple Farm 10% off all Maple products Become a SAMVET Program Business Supporter In Maine and New England, SAM leads the fight for our rights as sportsmen and for the protection of land and Maine s wildlife. SAM has been a tremendous supporter of veterans for years, and works with Pine Grove Program to offer the largest free fishing event for veterans every year since SAM is now establishing a program specifically to honor veterans service. With help from vendors like you, we will be able to offer SAM s veteran members a multitude of discounts at locations all over New England, as well as a variety of free outdoor sports events. In return for offering a discount at your retail location, we will give you a large decal to display to show your customers that you support our veterans and wildlife, and so the SAMVET members will know you offer the discount. In addition, supporting vendors will be listed as participating businesses in the SAM News and on the SAM website, reaching thousands of people in New England. We will take all precautions to insure that your generosity will not be exploited by closely monitoring these issues: Discount only for SAMVET members, not for friends or family members SAM will take all reasonable steps to insure only veterans with proof of service receive this benefit Membership cards given to the veteran member will have expiration date to ensure renewal. You will experience the pride of knowing that you are giving back to those who gave so much! Name of Company ETHICS: WHAT WE DO WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS WATCHING In the Maine woods, rarely will anyone be there to notice your ethical behavior, but the landowner and the hunters that follow will greatly appreciate it. Ethical behavior is vital to Maine s sporting future, and it encourages landowners to keep their property open for all to enjoy. So remember: always respect the rights of landowners, and please ask first. Outdoor Partners Landowner Relations Program For $15, you can become an Outdoor Partner and support the MDIFW landowner relations program, which works to preserve and enhance access, helps landowners with access issues, and promotes responsible, ethical sporting behavior. Members also receive discounts from retail partners, discounted subscriptions, and day passes, as well as an Outdoor Partners decal and entry into a drawing to win one of six $500 gift cards. You can join at any time either as an add-on to your license purchase or at mefishwildlife.com. Website address Address City, State, Zip Phone Cell Contact Person Contact s Discount or free item offered Please mail form to: SAMVET Program, Sportsman s Alliance of Maine 205 Church Hill Rd., Augusta, Questions: Please call the SAM office at or becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org

18 18 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Women of the Maine Outdoors A Day with the Maine Bear Crew by Staci Warren It wasn t that long ago that, while he was in college, my son got to go along with the Maine Bear Crew into the den of a sow and her three cubs. Ever since then I ve wished I could get the chance to do it, too. So when out of the blue my friend Erin sent me a text asking if I wanted to go with the Maine Bear Crew in January, I didn t hesitate one second to say, Yes! We arrived bright and early at the headquarters and got ourselves into our wool pants and boots. We met Randy Cross, head bear biologist for Maine, and our day was set in motion. We had dressed right wool pants make us quiet we were off to a great start! We didn t leave immediately. Instead, we met the entire crew in between their preparations and discussions of the sow bear we were going to see. She had a yearling hibernating with her. The crew knew her location, how much she had traveled in the last year, and approximately where she was located, thanks to the GPS collar she was wearing. They actually knew this bear well and had been visiting her den yearly. She was a 16-yearold that had had four cubs last year. The bear crew talked about how much drug to give the sow and yearling, throwing numbers, equations, and ratios around like it was a math class. I was amazed at how well everyone worked together in gathering everything they needed. They apologized because it was only their first few days this season, and they claimed to not have their routine down. I can t imagine them doing any better! Once we were on the road, we actually didn t go that far to find the bear. I got to ride on a snowmobile that can go anywhere it s driven! We literally broke trail through woods, squeezing and zigzagging through dense forest, and we never got stuck! Although it had warmed up, the snow was still really deep, and we came prepared with snowshoes. Once on the trail, two of the crew members, Roach and Jake, went ahead and circled the area while Lisa handled the radio to locate the bear. We quietly followed, making sure not to talk so that the bears wouldn t hear us approaching. They re seldom bothered by vehicles, machines, etc., but voices can send a bear bolting from its den. Last year the bear had taken up residence in an old beaver house, and Randy hoped this year she d be in a cave den. However, the surrounding forest didn t leave him too optimistic. A ground-nested bear is much harder to sneak up on and dart, so we moved as quietly as we could. To our advantage, the warm weather left trees dropping snow, and it made for good sound cover. We were told that if we hear a whistle, stop moving; it meant one of the two crew members had spotted the bear. We watched Lisa and Randy move in while we waited. Little did we know that the bear was right there! They had moved in on her and now they were just waiting She was in a ground nest with her yearling, born a year ago, snuggled beside her. She literally had scratched the trees to make a bed of bark and lain down with nothing over her! for the drugs to take effect. Once we got the okay to come closer, we got to see our bears! She was in a ground nest with her yearling, born a year ago, snuggled beside her. She literally had scratched the trees to make a bed of bark and lain down with nothing over her! The team went into action, working diligently and methodically. The bears were placed on a sleeping bag to keep them off the snow. Randy replaced the sow s collar while Roach and Jake took measurements and weighed the yearling, a female. Then once Randy was done with the sow, she was moved onto the bag, and weighed and measured as well. Lisa took information as numbers were called out in between discussions of what they should name the youngster. The yearling got new ear tags; the old ones had most likely been bitten out by her siblings, perhaps last summer. A tattoo was inscribed inside her mouth, and she received a GPS collar of her own. Only one of last year s litter of four remained with the sow. This doesn t necessarily mean the others had died, although they may have. Apparently the two male cubs were very big, and the mother had traveled hundreds of miles. It may be pos- Residents-Only Day Still Contentious for Some by Matt Dunlap I was at a family wedding in Massachusetts in my early days in the Legislature. During the reception, a tall man with a friendly smile came up to introduce himself. I thought from reading the SAM News that you were just about the most important person in Maine, he laughed. Dave Maynard of Brockton, Massachusetts, is one of the most avid sportsmen I ve ever known. That evening we talked about hunting and fishing for about an hour, and that pattern has happily repeated itself every time we cross paths, most recently in Florida, when we were all vacationing at the same time. One issue he raised for years was the specter of Residents-Only Day to begin the deer season. Dave hunts in Maine, and his passion for Maine deer hunting compelled him to buy some land for a hunting camp in central Maine. We leave it open, he explained. We welcome neighbors to hunt there and enjoy it. But it doesn t really seem right that I can t go out with them on opening day just because I m from Massachusetts. Residents-Only day was enacted years ago as a way to give residents some time by themselves in the woods. But it hasn t made marketing the outdoors of Maine any easier, especially with the prohibition Erin (left) and Staci with the immobilized sow and her yearling offspring. sible that the two male cubs went off on their own to den, and there is even a possibility that they might be denned nearby, as that is also common. In just a few minutes both sow and yearling were finished, and then we got to get some photos with the bears. It s entirely a different feeling holding up the head of a living, breathing bear. This bear s head is huge, and if I had only seen her, I would have thought she was a boar. As a bear hunter, this was truly a special moment for me. Before the bears were returned to their nest, Lisa gathered a few armloads of boughs and lined it nicely to help keep the bears dry. Their fur is thick and full, and it repels water. I was told that when it rains, the bears will literally get up, shake off, and then lie back down. Once the bears were placed back into their nest, a reversal drug was administered to each one, and then we left as quietly and quickly as we arrived. I am forever grateful for this opportunity to go along with the Maine Bear Crew. To see the professionalism, camaraderie, and true care for the future of our Maine black bears is something I ll always remember. Thank you Maine Bear Crew! Thank you Erin for the invite! Getting to experience an adventure is great, and having friends to share different adventures with is just one more reason to love the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and all it has to offer. Hopefully I ll get the chance to share a day of bear hunting with Erin this year if the bears cooperate! Staci Warren is a co-founder and board member of Women of the Maine Outdoors, an associate member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, and has her own blog: (Mymainelygirladventures.com) where you can read more about her adventures. on hunting on Sundays. These questions have been frequent flyers in annual SAM membership questionnaires, and while I was less than sympathetic in my earlier years as a sportsman, stories like Dave s have made me re-think the issue. A couple of years ago, the state legislature decided to give the idea of allowing non-residents who own at least 25 acres of land, and who keep it open to others to hunt, the ability to go deer hunting on Opening Day a trial run. The enacted legislation provided for a two-year window that would close on September 18, Letting our fellow hunters join us in the field, apparently, didn t cause the oceans to boil dry or the sun to go out, so this year the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries reported out LD 1823: An Act Regarding the Repeal of a Provision of Law Allowing Certain Nonresidents to Hunt Deer before the Open Season on Deer. The whole thing began as a love-fest, with a unanimous report from the committee that the bill Ought to Pass, and then unanimous votes in the House and Senate. But then, at the end of March, the Governor returned the bill to the legislature with a veto message. I believe that allowing hunting on the Saturday prior to the open season is a privilege that should return to being an exclusive benefit for the residents of the State of Maine. I encourage anyone who wants to hunt on that day to declare residency, the Governor said his letter. In what may be described as a triumph for fairness, the House voted 136 to 6 to override the veto. At this writing the Senate had yet to take up the veto issue, but the word among the folks involved indicates that the Senate is likely to follow suit. Bear in mind, this isn t a sweeping repeal of Residents-Only day; but it does permanently address the situation that Dave and so many sportsmen like him face when they step up to be good neighbors. It only seems fair that a landowner-sportsman who purchases land for the purposes of hunting, and then leaves it open for others to enjoy the privilege of accessing it, should be welcomed on Opening Day. For now, it looks like the Legislature has done the right thing. As sportsmen, we are lucky that they do so often. Matt Dunlap of Old Town is a life member of SAM and a former board member and executive director.

19 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM News May/June Maine Operation Game Thief (OGT) by Greg Sirpis Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open I d like to begin by thanking everyone around the state for your support of Maine Operation Game Thief (OGT), you help us protect our outdoor heritage. We have raised awareness throughout the state but we still have plenty of work to do. We must stay vigilant so we can help stop poaching and the illegal introduction of fish into bodies of water and most importantly, catch bad guys. Maine OGT works very closely with both the Maine Warden Service and the Maine Marine Patrol, and we are grateful for their diligence and dedication to our cause. But as you know, both agencies need the public to be the eyes and ears for illegal outdoor activity and report any violations to: ALERT-US ( ). We have released our new Maine OGT video to help explain our mission. It can be viewed at: Please check it out, and share it on social media. With the help of our Unity student partners we have been updating and improving our quarterly newsletter with additional content, and we will continue our Friends of OGT program with some additional swag items for our members. Our resource Council will consist of up to 15 members from around the state who are interested in working on OGT initiatives, from Brand Management and Marketing, to Fund Raising ideas and much more. Our newsletter has become a great communication tool for our supporters and to members of Maine OGT, and we really appreciate your support. I also want to thank our incredible team the OGT family. This group of dedicated volunteers consists of board members, Unity students, Resource Council members, and volunteers. I also want to thank the men and women of the Maine Warden Service and the Maine Marine Patrol. Thank you for your service and dedication to duty; you are the true heroes of the Maine outdoors. As the warm weather season quickly approaches I would ask that you take a kid out fishing, teach them the ethics of the outdoors, and have a conversation with them of the importance of our OGT program. Help them understand the resource, and how valuable it is. We ask that you report any suspicious activity you see to or ALERT-US so that we can help protect all of Maine s natural resources. Your report will be strictly confidential, and it will help protect the future of our outdoors. Safety Instructors Wanted Are you an experienced and passionate outdoorsman or woman? Do you enjoy teaching others and sharing your love for the Maine outdoors? The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is looking for volunteer instructors to assist with the delivery of our safety programs. We annually offer safety classes to approximately 10,000 students statewide in the following disciplines: Firearms Safety Bow Hunter Safety Trapping Safety Crossbow Safety ATV Safety Snowmobile Safety Watercraft Safety Interested ethical sportsmen or women who have the desire to keep the Maine tradition alive, promote a safe outdoor experience, and deliver a well structured basic safety class with other team members, should apply. Giving back to the sport that you have a passion for is a major part of being a true, ethical, sportsman or woman. We have a growing interest from the public in all of the above disciplines, with major growth in Firearms Hunter Safety and Bow Hunter Safety. The increase in youth and women in these programs over the last few years has been tremendous. If you are interested in becoming an instructor, please visit: safety/index.htm#instructor To apply, contact the local Regional Coordinator in your Area. Regional Coordinators are listed on the IFW website. PENOBSCOT/PISCATAQUIS, NORTHERN SORSET Vacant Recreational Safety Unit Mailing Address: 284 State Street, Station 41, Augusta Maine Office Address : 8 Federal Street Augusta Maine YORK, CUMBERLAND (ASSIST) Stephen Barr W H Stephen.L.Barr@maine.gov OXFORD, ANDROSCOGGIN (ASSIST) Vacant KNOX/WALDO, HANCOCK (ASSIST) Vacant Michael Sawyer, Recreational Safety & Vehicle Coordinator C Rt 212, Merrill, Erin Hickey, Secretary, Regional Safety Coordinators KENNEBEC/ SORSET (ASSIST) Craig Gerry W Craig.I.Gerry@maine.gov ANDROSCOGGIN/ CUMBERLAND Michael Mayo W C Michael.Mayo@maine.gov SAGADAHOC/LINCOLN Reginald Read W H Reginald.J.Read@maine.gov SORSET/FRANKLIN Rick Rogers Jr. W H Richard.E.RogersJr@maine.gov WASHINGTON/HANCOCK Jon Southern W H Jon.Southern@maine.gov AROOSTOOK/ N PENOBSCOT Stephen Wotton W Stephen.R.Wotton@maine.gov Attention: Hunters, Woodlot Owners, Loggers, Contractors, and Farmers Wildlife Seed Mix from SAM and Seedway Contains highly nutritious cool season perennial grasses and clovers Use on food plots, near deer yards, logging roads and landings, pastures, construction sites Proceeds from the sale of this seed help support SAM s Deer Management Network Highly attractive to DEER, WILD TURKEY, GEESE, AND LIVESTOCK Adaptable to a wide array of site and soil conditions Cost effective. Small seed size broadcasts at only 25 lbs per acre Plantings last several years with minimal maintenance More wildlife-friendly than conservation mixes Provides superior deer nutrition immediately before and after the winter yarding season Grasses remain green and highly palatable into late fall/early winter, even under snow Contains 5X the clover than in conservation mixes White and red clovers attract wildlife over most of the growing season SAM s Wildlife Mix contains 20% Festuoulium (Duo) 20% Meadow Fescue (Preval) 15% Perennial Ryegrass (Power Forage) 10% Orchardgrass (Tekapo) 10% Kentucky Bluegrass (Troy Forage) Till or drag site to expose soil Stand quality is best at PH 5.5 to 7.0 Broadcast seed at 25 lbs per acre using properly calibrated Cyclone-type seeder 50 lbs bag sows 2 acres; 10 lbs sows 2/5 acre (100 ft. x 170 ft.) Site Prep and Seeding 5% Italian Ryegrass [tetraploid annual] (Feast) 2 5% Italian Ryegrass [diploid annual] (Thunder) 10% Medium Red Clover (StarFire 2) 5% Ladino White Clover (Jumbo 2) Lightly cover seed by dragging, tracking, or packing. Good soil contact is essential to good germination. Use shredded mulch hay sparingly, if at all Annual mowing or bushhogging in late August of September helps maintain the stand. SAM s Wildlife Mix is formulated by Seedway, Hall, NY SAM s Wildlife Seed is distributed and sold exclusively by The Sportsman s Alliance of Maine, 205 Church Hill Rd., Augusta, (207) Got Questions? Comments? Feedback? Contact Gerry Lavigne, Dunlatr Farm Wild Game Smokehouse, (207)

20 20 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Spring Migration - Deer Do It Too! When we think of spring migration, we typically envision the return of robins or woodcock, or Canada geese making their way back to summer haunts. But deer? Yep. During most winters in Maine, deer travel, often as a coordinated group, from their summer range to more favorable wintering grounds. Research has shown that Maine deer may migrate 20 or more miles to reach wintering areas, although some may need to travel only over the next ridge to do so. Northern Maine deer tend to travel the farthest, while southern and coastal whitetail populations find adequate winter shelter at shorter distances. Migration to winter range tends to be traditional, in that specific groups of deer migrate to the same wintering grounds each year. Does teach the travel route to successive generations of fawns. After settling into a permanent home range, bucks also learn where to winter, and return there year after year. Many wintering areas in Maine may be continuously occupied for 50 or more years, if the habitat remains favorable. The impetus to migrate to winter range during late autumn or early winter, usually involves accumulating snow. Generally, when snow reaches above the knee joint (about 10 to 12 inches), deer drift off to their winter yards. Migrations can often be dramatic - here today; gone tomorrow. Deer move to more favorable wintering habitat even during relatively snowless winters in response to below-zero temperatures. I have even noticed a shift to winter range on some of Maine s coastal islands. In this case, deer shift to dense spruce forests on the south shore. Movement in deep snow costs a lot of calories. Deer move to forest types where the snow is shallower. These wintering areas are typically mature, coniferous forests with dense, closed canopies. The overhead cover intercepts snow and minimizes wind chill, allowing deer the best chance of moving about to feed and escape predators. Notes from the Field Biologist by Gerry Lavigne However, there is also a spring migration, back to summer range. It is also related to snow depth. As the temperatures warm, and the snowpack melts, deer leave their wintering grounds. Again, that magic number of 10 to 12 inches of sinking depth in snow is involved. When sinking depth falls below the knee joint on a deer, they can move about much more freely. Spring migrations can occur rather suddenly, or they can occur in stages. In locations where fields lose all their snow cover in the vicinity of wintering areas, deer will congregate there to take advantage of the new growth of grasses and herbs. But they generally hold off returning to summer range until at least the hardwoods melt down below a foot of snow. On April 13, 2018, I was able to witness the return of deer to the woodlot where I hunt coyotes in Alton, Maine. This is the Pit site, one of three locations where I bait hunt. Our local deer had vacated this woodlot in late December, as the snow accumulated. There had not been a single track on the site until this spring day. Just before noon, I walked the road down to the pit to re-bait and change my trail cam cards. Not far into the quarter-mile walk I noted fresh deer tracks in the mud and slush of the access road. Five deer had crossed the highway and were headed down into the vicinity of the gravel pit. Two of the tracks indicated adults, while the other three were short yearlings (born June 2017). Based on the condition of these tracks, these deer were only minutes ahead of me. This group of deer travelled along the road all the way down to the head of the gravel pit, then cut through the woods to the lower road, where a SAM s Wildlife Seed food plot is located (along with my coyote bait). After pulling the trail cam card, I was thrilled to see that one of the deer, a sleek adult doe, had posed for a picture. And yes, the snow in the woods had just melted to less than a foot a day or two earlier! Home again. One of a group of five deer that just minutes earlier returned to the woodlot around the Pit coyote hunting site in Alton, Maine. These deer had wintered somewhere nearby for the past 3½ months. Wherever they were, this doe fared pretty well over winter, as indicated by her sleek appearance. G. Lavigne photo. 4-H Shooting Sports Training Maine 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor training will be held at the Bryant Pond 4-H Center on June The weekend training will certify new instructors in one of four disciplines: Archery, Rifle, Shotgun, or Pistol instruction. The registration fee is $75, which includes meals and lodging, as well as materials. Partial funding support is provided by the MidwayUSA Foundation, as well as a grant through the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW) to help keep the participant costs low. The training will begin with a welcome and orientation Saturday June 16 at 8:30 a.m. and the program will conclude at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 17. Training includes the fundamentals of safe shooting, range set up and protocols, risk management, and youth development components. This is hands-on training based on the 4-H model, learn by doing that focuses on teaching folks not only how to run a shooting program safely but also how to work with young people. There s plenty of time scheduled to practice new skills and learn from others in the group. The schedule is designed to provide the highest quality of instruction, balanced with great meals and time to ask questions and gain insight into the other shooting activities that are available. Each time we host a training event, we get to meet some amazing people with a wide array of talents and experience levels. In fact, despite having previous training through NRA, BSA, or another governing agency or organization, the 4-H model provides the opportunity to implement all of these skills and knowledge in a slightly different approach. This training is required for folks who wish to lead shooting sports activities in Maine under the 4-H guidelines, and allows an instructor to work with a 4-H Club or an existing rod and gun club. Once the training is complete, attendees must contact their local Cooperative Extension office to complete the required VOLT Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center by Ron Fournier Learning Opportunities for Adults and Youth Maine 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor training will be held at the Bryant Pond 4-H Center on June The weekend training will certify new instructors in one of four disciplines: Archery, Rifle, Shotgun, or Pistol instruction. training and enroll as a 4-H Volunteer instructor. This can also be done prior to the shooting sports training. By becoming a Certified 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor, you gain access to equipment and support from the University of Maine 4-H Shooting Sports program. You will have the ability to make a positive impact on countless numbers of youth. Your time is an investment in tomorrow s future of the shooting sports. This is something that cannot be overstated, especially in this current environment. For more information, or to register, visit the website for the University of Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond. Summer Camp: Now s the time to make your final plans! Bryant Pond 4-H Camp s summer camp programs continue to consistently fill to near capacity. This spring we have seen strong enrollment and I d like to remind parents and grandparents who are planning on registering their child or grandchild that NOW is the time to do so in order to get a slot in your program choice. We have some scholarships towards camp, especially the conservation camp programs, which make camp very affordable. Across the state, rod and gun clubs and civic organizations work hard at providing some funding assistance. Bryant Pond offers a wide selection of programs based on conservation education, Junior Maine Guide skills, ecology, primitive skills and others. There are plenty of choices! The new registration system is now up and running, making it much easier to upload medical forms and registration materials. We look forward to seeing you at our Youth Field Day on June 3! This annual open house is full of family friendly activities and opportunities to try new things. This is a full day of fun and excitement for everyone! For questions please contact me at ronald.fournier@maine.edu See you there!

21 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM News May/June Fish and Game Club News Norway-Paris Fish & Game A snowy view from the new multi station range building. The new multi station range building at Norway-Paris Fish & Game makes year-round shooting a pleasure. Since 1970, the Norway-Paris Fish & Game Assn, Inc. has been dedicated to the Maine outdoors, and the people who are found there, with special emphasis on our youth and the preservation and respect for our 2nd Amendment. Through the hard work and dedication of our members and supporters, we are now blessed with some of the best ranges around archery, trap, rifle and pistol, and we are justifiably proud of our clubhouse and the meetings, great meals, and training that occur there. We are an approved non-profit club. Our 200-yard rifle range and brandnew multi station range building make year-round shooting a pleasure, as well as fun with gongs and our popular annual Fall Shoots with a running deer target. The archery range boasts a great tower allowing the simulation of a tree stand, and our modern trap range offers the latest technology and design. We have placed great emphasis on safety through careful planning, and the implementation of recording cameras operating around the clock. Our very well attended monthly social meetings have wonderful pot luck dinners with special theme nights, and frequent speakers of interest. We are a busy club providing our area with events such as the annual Ice Fishing Derby, annual Gun and Craft Show at the Oxford Fairgrounds, annual Gun Raffle, annual Military Veterans Trap Shoot, the aforementioned popular Fall Shoots. Because we know that our youth offer the preservation of outdoor activities, we provide them with specially tailored events such as our Youth Field Day, we sponsor the Youth Trap Club the Incredible Hulls, participation in the Family Fishing Day, and we conduct Archery Classes, Hunter Safety Classes, Trapping Classes and other events of both interest, education and safety. Club membership is free to those under 16 years of age, and they are eligible for college scholarships, sponsorship to the Bryant Pond 4H Learning Center, and the opportunity to win a lifetime fishing license awarded annually. With over 450 members and growing strongly, we welcome the opportunity to serve responsible outdoor loving people. With low annual dues of only $30 for adults ($15 for military veterans), we make our facility accessible to everyone. We invite you to visit our web page at NPFG.ORG, look at our attractions, and see how we might serve your needs, and provide an atmosphere that will make your outdoor pursuits more fun. SAM Fish and Game Club Network SAM s Fish and Game Club Network enables clubs to work with SAM on communication, partnerships, share information on current events, and learn how sportsmen and women can become more effective in the legislative process. We are proud to have these important partners and appreciate the work they do in their communities. Androscoggin Fish and Game Assoc. Lewiston Arnold Trail Sportsmen s Association Waterville Aroostook County Conservation Association Auburn Rifle Club Auburn Big Pine Gun Club Guilford Boothbay Fish and Game Club Boothbay Bowmantown Association Bucks Mills Rod and Gun Club Bucksport Buxton & Hollis Rod and Gun Club Hollis Capital City Rifle and Pistol Club Augusta Carrabassett Valley Trappers North Anson Cumberland Rifle and Pistol Club - No. Yarmouth Durham Rod & Gun Club Durham Falmouth Rod & Gun Club Falmouth Fin & Feather Club Inc. Millinocket Frontier Fish & Game Club - Fort Fairfield Fryeburg Fish & Game - Fryeburg Kennebunk Fish and Game Club - Kennebunk Kezar Falls Fish & Game Parsonsfield Knox County Fish and Game Hope Lincoln County Fish & Game Waldoboro Lincoln County Rifle Club Damariscotta Maine Sporting Dog Association Kingfield Maine Youth Fish and Game Association Monmouth Fish and Game Association Monmouth Montville Rod and Gun Club Montville NAVHDA, Sebasticook Chapter New England Beagle Club No. Berwick Rod & Gun N. Berwick Northern York County Rod and Gun Club West Newfield Norway Paris Fish & Game Norway Penobscot County Conservation Assoc. Brewer Phippsburg Sportsman s Association Phippsburg Presque Isle Fish & Game Presque Isle Princeton Fish and Game Princeton Rangeley Region Guides & Sportsmen s Assoc. Rangeley Richmond Sportsman Association Richmond Royal River Rod and Gun Club Gray Samoset Fish and Game Club Bristol Sanford/Springvale Fish and Game Club - Sanford Scarborough Fish & Game Scarborough Sebago Lake Anglers Association - Naples Skowhegan Sportsman s Club Skowhegan So. Berwick Rod & Gun Club So. Berwick Spurwink Rod & Gun Club Cape Elizabeth Standish Fish & Game - Standish Waterford Fish & Game - Waterford West Gardiner Rod and Gun Club - West Gardiner Wilton Fish & Game Association Wilton Wiscasset Rod and Gun Club Wiscasset York County Fish & Game Club Lyman York Fish & Game - York Major Waldron Sportsmen s Association - Barrington, NH Nimrod League of Holden Holden, MA Woodville Rod and Gun Club - Woodville, MA The range is kept plowed for year-round shooting. Norway Paris Fish & Game 5th Annual Gun, Sportsman and Crafters Show Saturday, May 19 & Sunday, May 20, 2018 Oxford Fair Grounds 67 Pottle Rd, Oxford, Me Saturday 9 4, Sunday 9 3 Adults $6.00; under 12 free with an adult Over 100 tables ~ Outside vendors Food & Drink available Attention vendors: reasonable outdoor space available, contact Mike

22 22 SAM News May/June 2018 SAM s Trading Post Advertise your land, camp or business in our Trading Post section Sportsman s Alliance of Maine SAM Member Benefits Wicked Water Graphics (South Paris) 15% off Ad rates: Up to 30 words $15 per issue; $.50 a word after 30 words. Mike s Gun Shop, Inc. Whitinsville, MA All Massachusetts Members 5% off everything in the store. All other members 5% off items, except firearms and ammo FMI: Contact the SAM Office to place your ad in the next issue: or becky@ sportsmansallianceofmaine.org GUIDES Chick Hill Guide Service 110 Chick Hill Rd Clifton, navyduckman@gmail.com Specialties: hunting, fishing, recreation Ben s Trading Post (Presque Isle) discount 10% off all items except firearms and bows Maine Military Supply discount 10% off one item at check-out (your choice). Discounts apply on all store items except rifles and optics. Classes are 10% off all year round and there are special range discounts for SAM members ATTENTION SAM MBERS We are offering another great membership discount... For ONLY $20.00 you can subscribe to the Northwoods Sporting Journal (12 issues) a savings of $7.95 you must use this entire ad to receive this discount Please fill out the form below and mail to: The Northwoods Sporting Journal P.O. Box 195 West Enfield, CHECK OR MONEY ORDER Name CC# Address J.M. Guide Service 41 Hedman Road New Sweden, jmguideservice@yahoo.com Specialties: hunting, photography, recreation YOUR NA HERE YOUR NA HERE City EXP. DATE State Zip V CODE FOR SALE The Fish River Camps for Sale, T14 R8, 3 log cabins, great fishing, moose, bear, deer, birds. Completely furnished, miles of shorefront and no neighbors. Pictures available, $159,000 or BRO Hunting camp for sale, North Maine Woods, T13R10. Great moose hunting, Zone 2, also bird, bear, deer. Furnished, sleeps 6, shower, propane fixtures, finished in cedar. P&C lease, $49, PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYING SERVICES SURVEY, INC., PO Box 210, Windham, Maine (207) wshippen@surveyincorporate.com Cabela s/sam member discount on Cabela s items, up to 25% depending on the items. The more we collectively purchase the higher our individual discounts become. SAM members camp at Lake Manchaug for 10% off YOUR NA HERE Maine s largest online hunting resource for guides, lodging, taxidermists, meat shops, gun shops and more. Free to use! Free to join! Sportsman SAM MBER SPECIAL: 1 YEAR FOR $20! The Maine The Maine Sportsman magazine says thanks to SAM members by offering a one-year subscription for just $20. THAT S $10 OFF THE REGULAR ONE-YEAR RATE! February The Maine The Maine 2018 $4.99 The Maine January October 2017 $ $4.99 ual 2017 Main e s Ann CK S BIG GEST BUUE CLUB ISSo Gallery Phot Plus Top 10 Page 42 Page Vintage Snowmobile Events 23 Page 19 Ice Fishing, the ned Way Old Fashio 19 Page 47 Fow ler s Pata goni ant 1 She lter Par Page 37 P way Allagash Water fish for White 33 Page 34 Page ng Boating: Choosi rd a SmallPageOutboa 7,3429 Pages Mail form with payment information (check or money order also accepted) to: The Maine Sportsman 183 State Street, Suite 101 Augusta, Fowler: How I Survived IC EforFI SH IN G Alone, Lun and Won $500,000 Fowl er s 50- Day Fire P Page 32 Majestic Maine Par Moose t2 Pages 11 & 76 Dog Training on a Budget Page 19 Tracking Whitetail Bucks, Old School Style Page 28 What s New in Snowmobiles Page 25 Page 62 (207) ker s Pages 23, 52 Pages Early Winte Snowmobile r Event Page 19 Challenges of Dog Sled Racin g Address City State Zip Code Phone Visa/MC Exp. s *This offer limited to new subscribers or two-year-lapsed subscribers of The Maine Sportsman. Expires December 31, Page 47 Choosing Portable Genera ator Page 34 SAM Business Supporters Maine Wilderness Watershed Trust Snowman Group Meadow Mountain Guide SVS, Airline Lodge Capital Franchise Associates Protection Training Associates Belmont Self Storage Folsom Heating, LLC Awards Signage and Trophies Maine Energy Marketers Association Spurwink Rod and Gun Club Chick Hill Guide Service KellerWilliams Realty, Jonathan McKane Bears Den Log Cabin Motel Restaurant & Tavern Pines Market and John Morris Fort Kent PowerSports Glacier Wear P.D.Q. Door Co., Inc. Downeast Ammo Maine Military Supply Black Duck Realty Four Aces Arms Crafts Self Storage, Inc Industrial Union of Marine and Ship Building Workers of America Black Bear Outfitters of Maine Loon Lodge Macannamac Inc. Augusta Bangor Beddington Belgrade Belgrade Belmont Bethel Brewer Brunswick Cape Elizabeth Clifton Damariscotta Dover-Foxcroft Eustis Fort Kent Greenville Hampden Holden Holden Jefferson Lincolnville Lisbon Falls Lisbon Falls Medford Millinocket Millinocket Thorough Building North Berwick Rod & Gun Club JM Guide Service Midcoast Lyme Disease Support & Education Woodman s Sporting Goods Huber Resources Corporation Homestead Lodge Rockwood Bar, Grill Gas & Convenience Store T P Construction Inc Maine Spine & Nerve Institute Suga Country Products SBS Carbon Copy Marsh River Charters Windham Weaponry H.C.Haynes, Inc Cromwell Coastal Properties Wiscasset Rod & Gun Club Mr. and Mrs. John Gordon Findlay Engineering Morrill N Berwick New Sweden Newcastle Norway Old Town Oxbow Rockwood Rockwood Scarborough Vassalboro Waterville West Bath Windham Winn Wiscasset Wiscasset Woolwich Yarmouth Hull Forestlands Maine, LLC Florida Trappers Association Inc and Emiy Townson Lake Manchaug Camping Latham Law Offices, LLC Don Shumaker Taft Family Logging Contractors Pomfret Center Milton Douglas Reading Dillwyn Island Pond CT FL MA MA VA VT

23 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Every Hunter Has a Story My First Deer by Hunter Koskela SAM News May/June Maine Guide Snowshoes SPECIAL OFFER WITH PURCHASE! First Snowshoes With Reverse! Mention this ad! Receive a SAM Gift Membership or renewal with each pair of snowshoes! Made in Maine for 65 years! 6 styles, lifetime guarantee! Pine Grove Lodge & Cabins Memories for a lifetime. Hunter Koskela proudly displays his first deer, taken on youth deer hunting day in Editor s Note: This is the second story in the series from the fourth and fifth graders at Crescent Park School in Bethel,. It was pouring rain. Dad and I had been hunting all morning, since 5 a.m. We were soaked. We went home to change our clothes. Dad said we should take a drive to see if there were any deer in fields that he knew about. We d been driving an hour and a half. Nothing! On our way back to find a place to sit, I fell asleep with my head leaning on the side of the truck. It had been a long day for a 9-year-old. Suddenly, Dad saw a deer in an apple orchard. Deer! Deer! he shouted, waking me up. We stopped really fast and asked the people who live at the apple orchard if we could hunt there. They said yes! So Dad and I put orange on and got my gun. We walked down to where we saw the deer. We tried to be quiet so we would not scare the deer. We got to where we saw it and it was gone. I was a little bummed, but my Dad said, Let s walk this way a little and see if we can see it. So we started walking. A deer ran down the hill in front Tanned Coyote Wallhangers of us and turned to where two other deer were. We thought we were busted! We kept on going and there was the deer that ran down the hill to join the other two. This was it. I got ready to take my first shot at a deer. My Dad kept asking, Are you on it? Can you see it? I was nervous and excited, but I was ready. I loaded the gun, put my finger on the trigger and squeezed nice and slow. My heart was beating so fast! We jumped up and headed towards the deer. Two of the deer had run off and Dad said, Be ready! I don t know if you got it! We got to the bottom of the hill and there was my first deer lying there! I got it with one shot! I was so excited. My Dad was so proud of me, he was almost crying. He took pictures and then I had to drag the deer back to the truck. I dragged it a little ways, then my Dad took over. We got it in the truck and called my whole family! They all came to see my first deer and watch me take the guts out before I took it to be tagged. We took it home and hung it up. We cut it all up and ate delicious deer meat. Later we mounted the head to hang in my house! NOW AVAILABLE from SAM! Now available: garment-tanned Eastern Coyote pelts, sourced in Maine and donated to SAM by dedicated hunters and trappers who are doing their part to protect deer in winter. Each pelt comes with a tag identifying it as part of SAM s Deer Management Network. Great for dens, trophy rooms, or anywhere game is displayed. Large $100 XL $125 XXL $150 (limited availability) To order, contact SAM office manager Becky Morrell at (207) , or 205 Church Hill Rd., Augusta, 04330; or becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org All proceeds benefit SAM s Deer Management Network. SAM is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Directly on 400+ miles of ATV trails Covered storage if needed Campfire pit/gas grill Fabulous Fishing in the area 12 person Hot-Tub Volleyball/Horseshoes As low as $40/pp with breakfast! Family atmosphere (207) BINGHAM, MAINE Journals of a Coyotero by Don Shumaker JOURNALS OF A Coyotero SHUMAKER S CLASSIC COYOTE STUDY he coyote is a mystery to many. Found in nearly every corner of North America wilderness, farmland, desert, swamp, seashore, suburb, city they are nevertheless one of our most misunderstood animals. T The author has spent most of his life studying, pursuing, and controlling wildlife, the coyote in particular. He has Don Shumaker seen and learned much, both on his own and from some of the most knowledgeable wildlife experts in America. This book takes you into the real world of the coyote. It contains information you will find nowhere else. Journals of a Coyotero 250 pages, large 6x9 size, numerous color photos. Price: $22 postpaid Checks, MO, and Credit Cards accepted. To order contact SAM operations manager Becky Morrell at , becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta, 04330

24 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine News 24 SAM News May/June 2018 Sportsman s Alliance of Maine Youth Hunting and Fishing Gallery 1 1. C harlotte Abello, 8, with a big, fat bass. 2. Chase Fossett with a nice buck H annah Abello, 10, caught a beautiful brook trout. Got Photos? Do you have any great photos of your kids hunting and fishing in Maine s great outdoors? We d love to share them with other SAM members. Send them to Becky at becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org. 4. Landin Harthorne s first deer. 5. Jason Jones, age 5, ice fishing with his family. 6. Tony Hayes seven year old grandson Emmett Pierson of Gray, holds his 37 inch pike with help from his older brother, Ethan. Emmett caught the pike on January 21, Photo Guidelines: Photos should be as big as possible. (We can always make them smaller, but making them bigger often reduces the quality so far that they are unprintable.) Please include your child s name, where and when the photo was taken, and any story behind the photo. Thank You! SAM Youth Program Open Range Events 6 by Mark Goodridge, SAM Youth Program Coordinator In case you haven t noticed, the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine is going to great lengths to encourage youngsters to participate in hunting, fishing, trapping, and the shooting sports. One program that youngsters can participate in right now is the SAM Open Range Events. SAM Open Range Events are designed for youngsters and young adults with a lower age limit of 9. They are held once or twice a month, usually on Sunday afternoons between 1 and 4, at the SAM Headquarters in Augusta. Dates for Open Range Events are published on the SAM Facebook page, or you can obtain a list of dates by ing to: shootsafe@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org. Currently we are scheduling air rifle and archery activities. As the seasons progress we will add hunting and fishing lessons to the list of open range activities. All equipment is provided. The ranges are supervised by fully trained range safety officers, and each open range event starts with a full safety briefing. Shooters under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult family member while they are participating. To sign up for an open range event, send an to shootsafe@sportsman- The shooters are Noah and Rylan Parker. The range safety officer and instructor is Mark Goodridge. Noah and Rylan were having their first lessons on gun safety and air rifle marksmanship. By the end of the afternoon they were hitting bullseyes consistently at 25 feet. sallianceofmaine.org specifying the date and number of participants you will be bringing. Spaces in open range events are limited, and participation is first-come, first-served. In order to reserve a space you must request a reservation at least four days prior to the date of the event. All open range events are free paid for by the Sportsman s Alliance of Maine. facebook.com/sportsmans-alliance-of-maine